


Your Guardian Angel

by Starxid



Series: They're each other's Guardian Angels [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, F/M, Identity Reveal, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Mild Angst, Mild Fluff, ladrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-02-10 07:06:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18655420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starxid/pseuds/Starxid
Summary: Marinette’s identity has been exposed to the entirety of Paris and she has to make some decisions.





	1. Exposed

“Oh no! I’m late! I can’t believe I overslept again! I hope Miss Bustier doesn’t send me to the principal’s today,” Marinette stumbled out of her parents’ bakery as she placed a newly baked croissant into her mouth. The nice, buttery pastry nearly melted in her mouth as she stood at the crosswalk, waiting for her cue to cross. The road wasn’t busy, so she probably could have crossed, but as the hero of Paris, she needed to set an example, albeit no one knows her secret identity. “Still though,” she thought, finally crossing as she finished her croissant, running up the school stairs as a school monitor approached the doors to close them. She managed to slip through before the doors closed, almost catching the skirt to her light pink dress in the process. Skipping two steps at a time, Marinette hurried up the stairs and almost slammed herself into the door as she entered her classroom, right before the tardy bell rang. “Yes!” She exclaimed inwardly, giving a little triumphant dance, “I managed to arrive on time!”

Unaware of an uneasy silence, and confused looks, Marinette sat down at her assigned seat and rummaged through her bag for the textbook needed for her morning class. Finally settling to her seat, she noticed the stares her classmates were giving her, some astonished, others were covering their mouths, as if a secret threatened to escape their lips. Marinette’s shoulders tensed up and her eyes darted from one classmate to another until her eyes landed on Alya’s seat, only to find she wasn’t seated there. Instead, Alya was standing at the front of the class, staring at Marinette with her mouth wide open, apparently speechless. _“I-is it what I’m wearing?”_ She internally pondered, looking down at the little jacket and dress she hastily put on in her panic to get ready for school. There was nothing wrong with it that would cause a disturbance in the classroom, she often wore cute outfits to school. As a matter of fact, she had worn this dress before on a special occasion at school. So why…?

“Marinette.” The teen jumped at the mention of her name, she glanced upwards towards the front of the class, where her best friend was now looking at her with concern, pointing at the projector screen which had an image, or a video paused at a  certain point. It seemed to be Ladybug in an alleyway. The blood drained from Marinette’s face as Alya played the rest of the clip, showing Ladybug transforming back into her civilian form: Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Marinette slowly stood up as Alya replayed the video, her eyes glued to the projection. The video starts off with the camera person hiding behind a car, filming into the alleyway where Ladybug was standing, looking around to make sure that the coast was clear. Then she started to detransform, revealing Marinette as the person underneath the mask. The class was silent as they watched Marinette with bated breaths, observing her facial expressions, but Marinette’s face remained stone cold still.

“Alya, how did you get this video?” Marinette bored her big blue eyes into Alya’s hazel ones, hoping, begging, pleading for this to be fake although she already knew when this footage was filmed. It was the day before when a child was akumatized because her mother would not let her keep a stray puppy. She was a hard one to catch, but they caught her. She remembered vividly how the girl, clad in a stylized dog outfit, commanded all the dogs with a silent whistle. It was a nightmare, a cute, fluffy, slobbery nightmare. Marinette had plans, so she had to leave right after the fight. There was no way she could come up with an explanation that it was a hoax. Maybe CGI, but the footage was too shaky and low quality to pull that off.

Alya turned her back to her best friend and stared at her phone. “It was sent to me a few minutes ago… by an anonymous email. They sent it to the LadyBlog named under ‘cool Ladybug footage’. I just thought it was a video about yesterday’s fight, so I put it up on the projector so that everyone can see, but…” Alya took in a shaky breath and quickly turned to face Marinette, who now looked scared, face pale and eyes wide. “I promise, I didn’t upload it to the LadyBlog! I always check my footage before uploading!” Marinette began to tremble. Who sent that video? She needs to find this person so that they can delete it, FAST. No one else needs to see, needs to know…

“Is there a way to find out who sent that? That person needs to get rid of that video now!” Panic began to bubble in her chest as she approached Alya, shaky hands reaching out towards the phone. “Please, no one else can find out. If other people find out, I-my parents- you guys… will be in danger if Hawkmoth finds out.”

“There’s no point Marinette,” Nino said solemnly. He was looking down at his phone, shaking his head. “The local news is currently showing it… So everyone who’s watching this… knows.” A few kids gasped while others pulled out their phones to see what the news has to say. Marinette was planted firmly where she stood, white as a sheet, heart beating desperately with the hope that people believe that it is fake. However, it only takes one person to see and believe that this is true, and that one person could be Hawkmoth. If he finds out, he can take her parents hostage, he can harm her friends in many ways possible, he can kidnap her, he can take the miraculous, he can destroy everything, he can, he can…

“–nette, Marinette, please…” tears stung her eyes as a pair of green eyes stared into hers and strong hands held her shoulders, gently shaking her to bring her back from the grim future. Adrien gently swiped a stray hair from her face as he tried to calm her down, but as soon as she realized who was in front of her, attempting to comfort her, tears began to cascade down her cheeks as panic finally took over her being and all she wanted to do was hide. She jolted for the classroom door and escaped into the hallway, letting out a pained sob for her class to hear before the door closed. Adrien was about to go after her when Alya stopped him. “Let’s all go together, I don’t think it’s safe for her to be alone, especially in the state she’s in. Also, you need me to go into the girl’s bathroom in case she’s in there. Miss Bustier, may we…?” Alya gave their teacher a hopeful look and she nodded solemnly. Alya, Nino, and Adrien all left the classroom in the search for Marinette. A few moments of silence passed in the classroom before chaos ensued.

“Marinette is Ladybug? Clumsy Marinette??”

“She probably was purposefully clumsy to hide her identity?”

“That would make sense. But something tells me she’s just clumsy.”

“Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug… I admire Ladybug… Does that mean I admire DUPAIN-CHENG??”

“Chloe, c-calm down…”

*   *   *

Marinette sat in the stall directly in front of the door in the bathroom on the ground floor, quietly crying, trying to figure out what to do. Her phone rang silently beside her as Alya was attempting to call her. Her parents have also tried to call her, but she just ignored her phone. “This is a disaster…” she muttered as she hugged her knees, sniffling. A little red creature flew out of her purse and hugged her cheek to try to cheer her up, but that little action caused Marinette to cry even more, covering her face to hide her shame. “I’m sorry T-Tikki,” she managed to say between sobs, “I should have been more careful, and now a-a-all of P-Paris knows… I-I’m the worst Ladybug ever…”

“Marinette, don’t say that! You are one of the best that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing! You couldn’t have known that someone was recording. No one would have known…”

“I agree,” A voice echoed through the bathroom. “With Marinette. She is the worst Ladybug ever! Who could EVER think of giving her such an important role to play, when wee little Marinette is the clumsiest person in the entirety of Paris– no the entirety of the universe!” The voice was dripping with delighted malice and a giggle erupted from the other side of the stall door. Marinette recognized the voice.

“Lila!” Marinette stood up and opened the door, to face Lila who was giving her the biggest, smuggest smirk with the most malicious look on her eyes that it even gave Marinette shivers down her spine.

“Who would have known,” Lila stepped into the stall, trapping Marinette into the small space, “That Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug. You really did fool them, no one would have suspected a thing. Though, now that I think about it… You two do look a lot alike. I’m surprised no one caught that– Well… one person did though.” Lila waved her phone. Marinette gasped and glared daggers into the smug face Lila wore. “And now it’s all over the news. I’m surprised Alya didn’t upload it to the LadyBlog, that’s some juicy, juicy stuff.”

Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened, and Lila’s demeanor did a complete 180, suddenly pretending to comfort the now infuriated Marinette. “Oh Marinette! You must be so scared! You need to calm down before an akuma gets you! And then what would we do if Ladybug got akumatized?”

“Lila! What are you doing here?” Alya walked into the bathroom as the boys stood outside. Marinette noticed Adrien looking at her as the door closed and she gave him a pained look before it shut completely.

“Oh Alya, I was running late for class because I was so caught up with the news, and then I saw Mari running into the bathroom crying, and I _just_ knew that I needed to comfort her. Afterall, Ladybug and I are best friends, so it makes sense that I take care of my _best friend_!” Lila sniffed and wiped away a tear that wasn’t there. Alya, although a bit annoyed that Lila emphasised “best friend”, believed her and nodded her head.

“Well I’m her closest best friend and I’m here now, so you can leave her to me.” Alya suddenly got a weird look on her face as Lila left, as if some cogs suddenly started to turn in her mind. “Best friends? But you despise her (for no reason), how can you be best friends?”

“Exactly,” Marinette muttered but Alya missed it completely, for she began to focus on what’s more important: Marinette.

“Are you okay? You left so suddenly. The whole class is worried,” Alya cupped Marinette’s cheek and wiped away a stray tear that shed suddenly.

“No. I’m not okay. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay now that my identity has been exposed. Anyone that I know and love won’t ever be okay because they’ll be in danger. I don’t know what to do to fix this…” Marinette began to cry again, but this time she’s more frustrated because the person who recorded her was a very effective liar and if she tried to tell the truth, everyone would believe Lila over her.

“Hey hey, sh shh,” Alya held Marinette tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder. “You’re not alone in this though. Nino and Adrien are waiting for us outside. We should go meet up with them and figure this out.” Marinette nodded and followed her best friend outside where Nino and Adrien were waiting.

*  *  *

Adrien had a hard time wrapping his mind around the events that happened in the past ten minutes. _Marinette is Ladybug, she had a panic attack, Marinette is ladybug, they came to get her, Marinette is Ladybug, Lila came out of the bathroom looking worried, at first, but a look of malice slightly slipped out and only he noticed, Marinette is Ladybug_ …He couldn’t believe it, but at the same time, it made complete sense to him that Marinette was Ladybug. Was it the hair? The big blue eyes? The cleverness? Regardless, Marinette is _just a friend_ , and Ladybug is his lady, how can she be the same person? He didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Marinette, those were reserved for Ladybug, but Marinette is also Ladybug, so maybe… he was just wrong? The look she gave him before the bathroom door closed made his chest so tight with emotion that he wanted to cry alongside her, but it was Alya’s job to take care of her for now. The boys sat down on the floor by the bathroom door and waited.

“Can you believe it? Marinette is Ladybug,” Nino looked at Adrien who just stared at the floor, thinking. “But at the same time, it explains a lot.” Adrien looked at Nino questioningly. “Why she’s always tardy to school and why she always got flustered whenever Alya would tease her about being Ladybug. And why she chose me and Aly–” Nino suddenly shut his mouth, realizing what he was saying .

“What?”

“Nothing.” Adrien gave Nino a suspicious look then continued to look at the floor.

Both girls walked out of the bathroom, Alya guiding a still shaken Marinette to the boys, who were keeping a close eye out for Akumas. Adrien immediately stood up, perhaps a bit too quickly, for Alya gave him a puzzled look. Gulping, Adrien ignored Alya’s inquisitive look, and with a slightly flushed face, looked at Marinette, who was staring at the ground. Feeling his eyes on her, Marinette glanced up at him and they locked eyes for a moment before Adrien looked away rather too quickly, blushing more. _“Get a hold of yourself,_ ” Adrien thought as he decided that a small piece of chewed gum was more interesting. _“As if that is more interesting than those vividly blue eyes of hers.”_ His mind retorted as heart began to race. _“What is going on with me? I find out Marinette is Ladybug and I’m head over heels over her? B-but Marinette is just a f-f--”_

“Are you okay, Adrien?” Marinette’s voice snapped him from his very confused thoughts and they just stared at each other, both confused, but for very different reasons.

“I-I’m okay.” _She cares about others so readily, just like Ladybug. It just keeps making more and more sense…_ “Ahem. So what should we do about this situation?”

“I don’t know, I’ve been thinking but I can’t think of anything. My mind is too… worried to focus…”

“It’s okay Marinette, let’s think. What can we do to fix this?” Alya rubbed Marinette’s shoulders to help her relax. Everyone began to think.

Adrien piped up, “I know, what about we just say it’s a hoax? Marinette can go on the LadyBlog to give an interview and just say it was all a hoax.”

“An actress with special effects added in after, that’s perfect Adrien!” Alya nodded, admiring Adrien’s plan.

“Would it work though?” Marinette asked. “The main person who we would need to convince that it was a hoax would be Hawkmoth. If he doesn’t believe it…”

“Mari, relax.” Adrien placed his hand on her shoulder. When she didn’t relax, he cupped her cheeks so he can guide her to face him so she can see, so she can know that what he’ll say next is the truth. “If anything, Chat Noir will be there too.” _I’ll be there for you._ “He’ll protect you, with his life is he has to.” Her eyes widening, she stepped back, slowly shaking her head in disagreement.

“No, I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me. Not even Chat Noir. He may be a silly tom cat, but he’s still my partner and I don’t want him to–to…”

“You’re right. He’s your partner. So as Ladybug, you shouldn’t go through this alone. As Marinette, you have us to support you. You’re not alone in this!” Adrien pleaded. Alya and Nino looked in disbelief at how Adrien was acting towards Marinette. Very caring, and protective, as if he’s the one asking to protect her. It’s an astonishing display.

Marinette took a moment to absorb what Adrien has said and nodded. He’s right, she’s not alone…

“I’ll have to talk to Chat Noir about all of this, see what he has to say. So I’ll have to text you all later to see what the game plan is. Let’s get back to class… I think everyone is worried about us… about… me.” Nodding in agreement, the four of them headed upstairs into their classroom, where everyone waited anxiously.   
  


*  *  *

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug. There’s no doubt about it.” Hawkmoth stared out of his butterfly shaped window as he sensed the despair emanating from the young student. It was so easy, just akumatize her in her current state and get her Miraculous, then use that miraculous to get Chat Noir’s. It was the perfect situation.

“What are you going to do, sir?” Nathalie asked, watching her boss ponder all of his possibilities.

“I’ll akumatize her right now, so I can get her Miraculous as soon as I can. Then it is all uphill from here.”

“Well, do it before all of the other miraculous users assemble, if they haven’t already.”

“Good point,” Gabriel reached out a hand and a butterfly landed perfectly on his palm, ready for it’s master’s plan. But as soon as the purple bubbles enshrouded the little bug, the feeling of despair vanished. “What happened? Where did all the feelings of worry and frustration go?” He tried to send off his butterfly, but it just flew back, not knowing where to go. Frustrated, Hawkmoth purified the butterfly and stood there, plotting, planning his next move to get his hands on that damned Ladybug miraculous. 


	2. Tough Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has to consider her options and make a decision, fast.

Marinette stared at her reflection on the glass door of her parents’ bakery. She was nervous and worried of what they would say. Will they scold her for being a superhero? Will they ground her for putting herself in danger? Maybe ban her from ever becoming Ladybug ever again? The only way she’ll find out is if she entered the bakery, but she was rooted onto the sidewalk, unable to move. 

“Come on Marinette. There’s no need to be afraid. They’re your parents, they’ll understand,” Alya assured Marinette, squeezing her shoulder to comfort her. Marinette nodded and took in a deep breath, ready to face her parents. Alya, Nino, and Adrien wanted to give moral support to Marinette when she needed to go home, so they came along, making sure that she stayed safe. Many people tried to approach Marinette, but the three of them immediately shot down any prying question asked. Adrien begged Nathalie through the phone to let him have the rest of the afternoon off, for it is really important to him. She hesitantly obliged, promising to cover for him if need be and called off his bodyguard for now.

They stood behind her as she began to take her first step forward when the door suddenly shot open and her father, Tom, immediately grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled her in, leaving everyone else to  scramble behind and quickly locked the door. Tom and Sabine immediately wrapped their arms around their daughter and held her for a long time, prompting a fresh new tear to fall gently down her cheek. She let herself feel the warmth and safety of their embrace and for once throughout the whole day, she felt like everything will be okay.

“Oh Marinette, we were worried sick! As soon as we saw the news, we had to call and make sure that you were okay. You didn’t respond, but there wasn’t any news of akumatizations, so we figured everything was alright,” Sabine inspected her daughter to triple check she was okay, holding Marinette’s face in her hands. Everyone seemed to have a thing for gently touching her face today…

“I’m sorry mom, dad… I didn’t mean to make you worry. There was just a lot to think about and I didn’t want to add more worries to my ever growing pile. I should have called back when I was on lunch, but…”

 “Everyone in school was bombarding Marinette with questions. It was ridiculous. They wouldn’t leave her alone. We had to step in to stop everyone from trampling one another. Our class even had to barricade us in the classroom in order for everyone to eat peacefully,” Alya interjected, rubbing her temples. “By the end of the day, we tried to discreetly get her out of the school and rush over here, but a swarm of people blocked the way. It took us half an hour to cross the street!” Sabine and Tom made eye contact and sighed. Tom shifted his gigantic figure to face his child and sat her down at the nearest stool.

“Sweetie, how did you become Ladybug? She and Chat Noir have been around for such a long time, we never suspected a thing!” Tom scratched his chin thoughtfully, wondering how his daughter pulled off everything. Both he and his wife knew how much of a clumsy girl Marinette is. She’s been that way ever since she was a little girl. Marinette shifted uncomfortably on the stool as she was unsure that it was a good idea, she didn’t want to expose Master Fu as well…

 “I’d like to know too. I promise I won’t say anything on the LadyBlog!” Alya held out her pinky as proof of her promise.

“We won’t tell a soul! We promise!” Nino also held out his pinky and Adrien followed suit.

“You don’t have to tell us every detail, just tell us how it generally happened, and we’ll trust you,” Adrien gave her a reassuring smile as they locked eyes again. His words, that smile, Marinette felt even more safe and secure, especially with everyone swearing to not tell a soul. One by one, she took everyone’s pinky’s, including her parents’, who also wanted to reassure her their secrecy.

“Okay, so I was basically chosen by the Guardian of the Miraculouses because I was kind to him, he says I’m the perfect Ladybug. I was given the earrings that I’m currently wearing and the little creature that lives inside is what gives me my power,” Marinette then proceeded to peek into her purse and whispered to Tikki. She wanted to ask permission first before she introduced her to everyone. Tikki flew out and hovered in front of everyone. Everyone stared in awe as she flew to each one of them to give a shake of their pinkies.

“Hello, I’m Tikki. I’m what you would call a Kwami. We kwamis embody an abstract thought. I embody creation. It’s very nice to meet you all!”

“Tikki gives me the power of luck. It has usually worked out for me well until, well, now I suppose. She has always had my back in and out of costume,” Marinette stated, letting Tikki land on her extended hand and gently pet her head with her thumb. “She’s so sweet and amazing that I feel so lucky just to know her.

“Aw Marinette!” Tikki flew off of Marinette’s hand and gave her face a hug. “You know, I feel the same way about you!” Tikki turns to Sabine and Tom and gives them the biggest smile she can muster. “She’s a fantastic Ladybug! She’s also fantastic as Marinette, you two should be very proud of her.”

“Oh Tikki, we are, we are so very proud of her, even before we found out she was Ladybug,” Sabine held out her hand as to let Tikki land. “To think that she has been saving Paris all this time? Oh it makes me worried but I’m still so proud. To be so selfless as to help people all over the city. It kinda makes me want to be Ladybug. And thank you so much for keeping my daughter safe as she and Chat Noir save Paris. How could I ever show my appreciation?” Tikki thought for a moment before squeaking out “an endless supply of cookies!” Everyone began to laugh, basking in the the relief the moment has brought everyone. Marinette’s giggles subsided a bit too soon as worry washed over her again.

“Tikki calls me amazing, but my identity has been exposed… I actually don’t see that as something amazing,” Marinette dejectedly looked down to the floor, fidgeting with the hem of her dress not knowing what to do with her hands.

“That doesn’t erase everything else that you have done,” Adrien piped up, kneeling down so he can make eye contact with Marinette without forcing her to look up. This simple little gesture surprised her and caused her to blush furiously, but she said nothing in response. “That doesn’t erase the fact that you have saved a lot of people from danger. It doesn’t erase the fact that you are extremely clever. All of us, including me think you are a wonderful person, in and out of costume. So don’t think that you aren’t amazing, because everyone here will disagree with you.” Marinette’s eyes widened and her blush was still very prominent and she was hoping that Adrien would not notice how red she is. Adrien was hoping she wouldn’t notice how red he was. But neither of them noticed how everyone else have gigantic grins on their faces, enjoying how oblivious these two are. Marinette shook her head and stared down at her dress again.

“B-but I have caused some akumatizations because I was being selfish! How can that be amazing?” Marinette blurted out, now wringing the hem of her dress. Tears began to sting her eyes. “I-I even lied about loving Chat Noir because I thought he was going to figure out I was Ladybug, and that caused my dad to get akumatized.” Adrien’s heart sank a bit when he heard that, but he still understood clearly why she had to do it. It still stung though…

“It’s okay to be selfish once and a while, girl,” Alya knelt down as well and placed her hand on Marinette’s so she could stop wringing her dress. “It may seem bad to you because it’s accumulated into something bigger, but you, you are incredibly selfless. Sometimes to a fault, but that’s who you are. A bit of selfishness here and there doesn’t change that fact.”

“She’s right Marinette. And even if it went wrong, you seemed to have learned from your mistake,” Adrien placed his hand on hers and rubbed gently with his thumb. “Not many people do that, admit it and make it right. However, all of this that is going on, it is not your mistake. Someone violated your privacy and they deserve to be punished for it. We will help you make this right.” A look of determination washed over his face as he stood up, eyes focused on Marinette. “I promise you that.” I promise you that as Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir. Everyone stared at Adrien in awe, Alya and Nino’s mouth agape. Marinette was still blushing, but she gave him a sweet smile and tears spilled out again, but instead of letting them fall, she wiped them away, fully determined now to fix this. Sabine and Tom gave him a knowing smile, well aware of how he felt about their daughter, though he himself wasn’t quite there yet. It took a moment before Adrien realized everyone’s eyes were on him, then his face flushed as he purposefully avoided eye contact with everyone and nodded as if to make his point final.

Suddenly, his phone rang loudly, startling everyone. He reached for his phone but it slipped out of his hand and he awkwardly scrambled to catch it and answer it. He cleared his throat to try to diffuse the uncomfortable tension. “H-hello? Oh father!” Adrien listened carefully and suddenly his face fell. “You can’t do that! It’s not fair!” More silence as everyone watched. Distressed washed over his face and he tried to protest against his father. “ But fa–” but the sound of a disconnected phone answered him. Adrien glared at his phone and it looked like he wanted to throw it to the ground, but he didn’t. His shoulders fell and he looked like he was in the verge of tears, but he shook his head to get rid of it. Nino asked what was up and Adrien shot him a defeated look. “My father wants me to go home now. He… Wants me to not associate with her anymore, that it’s too dangerous. My bodyguard is on his way to pick me up.” Adrien clenched his phone, digging his nails onto the screen. Everyone immediately protested!

“That’s not fair!” Nino shouted, slamming his fist on the counter, apologizing after Tom gave him a look to be careful.

“Your dad is a piece of work,” Alya grumbled, crossing her arms in distaste. “He is just too overbearing.” Tom had a look of disappointment brushed across his face, but Sabine looked dangerously calm, eyes seeming to smolder in anger.

There was a knock on the bakery door that startled everyone and they could see Adrien’s bodyguard through the glass along with the limo, waiting. Adrien picked up his bag that he dropped on the floor earlier and sighed defeatedly.

“I know he is,” he answered. “None of this is fair.” He began to walk towards the door then looked back at Marinette, who just stared back with her eyebrows furrowed, frowning, and her eyes watery. To many times have those stunning eyes shed tears, so he gave her a smile. “I still plan on keeping me promise to you. I’ll help you in one way or another.” He turned back to the door after winking at Marinette, who just gave him a confused look, not knowing what he meant by that. I want to help you as Adrien, and I will, somehow. But I know I definitely will as Chat Noir. Tom and Sabine went to escort Adrien, unlocking the door but not opening it. “Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng, you guys were always so welcoming to me.”

“Thank you so much for caring for our daughter,” Sabine smiled and gave Adrien a big hug. “If you ever need a place to hide from your father, you can run away come hang out here with us,” Tom whispered to Adrien and winked as his wife crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, smiling.

“I’d be glad to some day. Bye everyone,” Adrien gave everyone a weak smile and waved at everyone, his eyes falling on Marinette. He lifted up his pinky to reassure her that he’ll keep his promise to her and then approached the limo as soon as Tom opened the door. Adrien opened the car door only, climbed on and began to close the door, but Marinette caught a glimpse of Gabriel Agreste, staring intently at her. The limo drove off, leaving everyone in the bakery feeling heavy.

Marinette felt horrible. Now Gabriel Agreste hates her because he thinks she’ll put Adrien in danger. He seems determined to help, but how can he? She stood up from the stool she’s been sitting on for the past hour and started to collect her belongings.

“Hey girl, do you want us to stay with you?” Alya offered, getting her bag ready so she can go upstairs with Marinette with Nino following suit. Marinette shook her head. She gave them a tight hug.

“I have to think about what my next step should be. Thank you guys so much. You two are such wonderful friends.” She then whispered into their ears. “I knew I made the right choice choosing you two for the fox and turtle miraculous.” They both smiled widely and they held her back tightly. “Will you two be alright heading back home? I don’t want Hawkmoth or any of his akumas attacking either of you.”

“We’ll be fine, there’s nothing we won’t be able to fight off,” Nino, flexed one arm as Alya laughed and shook her head.

“We got each other’s back,” they headed towards the door. “You take care, we wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to any of you. Bye girl, love ya.” Alya and Nino left, making sure that the crowd that greeted them earlier was gone. Marinette stood in the empty bakery with her back facing her parents, not knowing what to do or say now that they’re alone.

“I–”

“Let’s go upstairs sweetie. Let’s get you–and Tikki– a snack and give you time to think,” Sabine began to guide her daughter to their apartment, making sure to let her husband know to close up for the day.

Marinette stared at her cookies and milk while Tikki savored the cookie she was eating, content for the moment while Sabine tidied up the living room and Tom washed dishes. She fidgeted her fingers as she thought what the best course of action would be, what the consequences will be, and if maybe she may need to leave Paris, at least for a while…

“The hot topic for tonight’s show is the latest viral video revealing the identity of our esteemed hero, Ladybug,” Nadja Chamack announced on the television, “She appears to be just a regular school girl in her mid-teens. Rumors have it she attends Françoise DuPont–”

“The nerve of these people!” Sabine gripped the remote tightly after turning of the television. Her knuckles began to turn white, and she turned to Marinette. “How dare they disrespect your privacy! People would say it comes with being a hero, but this is unacceptable! I’ll have to call the TV studio right now an have a nice chat with them.” Tom and Marinette exchanged looks as Sabine grabbed the house phone and began to dial. She’s going into momma bear mode, and it is terrifying to see her as a momma bear.

“I’m heading upstairs,” Marinette grabbed her plate of cookies and her glass of milk, wanting to avoid her mother’s very calm wrath. “I’ll go ahead and take this with me, I’ll eventually regain my appetite.”

“I’ll be making dinner soon. It’ll be your favorite,” Tom announced, hoping to cheer up his daughter. She gave him a weak smile and she thanked him before heading upstairs and locking herself in her room.

“Tikki, I need to get in contact with Chat Noir. Is it okay if I turn into Ladybug so I can call him through my yo-yo?”

“You can, but I suggest covering your windows, I feel like anyone might see you through the windows.” Despite being on the top floor of the complex and few stories high, Tikki had a point. Whether it was instinct or paranoia, Marinette didn’t want to risk more exposure. She covered all of her windows and prepared herself to transform.

“Tikki, spots on.” After transforming, Marinette stared at herself in her mirror and sighed. There stood what could possibly be the worst superhero in the history of superheroes. Marinette covered her face and sighed. “How did it come to this? Would even doing an interview on the LadyBlog help? People will be skeptical one way or another. I feel so hopeless.” And for the first time in the longest time, she did. She felt utterly hopeless, not knowing what to do next. Even becoming Ladybug didn’t help. She still felt… lost.

She glanced at her yo-yo’s reflection, and it illuminated with her Ladybug vision. Confused, she held it and stared. She knew she had to call Chat Noir, that was obvious. Did it want her to call someone else? Did she even have other contacts other than Chat Noir and Master Fu?

_MASTER FU_.

Knowing that he wouldn’t be transformed, she grabbed her phone and sure enough, when his contact information came up, it lit up with her vision. She pressed the call button and waited for him to answer.

_“Marinette!”_

“Master Fu! Oh thank goodness! Master I messed up–”

_“Calm down Marinette, I know what happened and I understand.”_

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t–”

 “ _It wasn’t your fault Marinette. I know you called to see what to do next.”_

“What can I do? I can’t really think of anything… The best I can come up with is doing an interview on Alya’s LadyBlog saying it was a hoax, but I feel like that won’t work.” Marinette sat on her bed, covering her face and started to bounce her leg, anxiety coursing through her.

_“Let me tell you something. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Other Ladybugs before you have had their identities revealed.”_ She gasped at the information. She wasn’t the only Ladybug whose identity was discovered. She could hear his kettle boiling in the background and the gentle klinking of his tea cups. He was remaining surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal. _“Some did what you plan on doing, saying it’s a hoax. At times it worked, others it didn’t. Some remained Ladybug and still fought. Others relinquished their Miraculous and left the superhero life.”_ She heard him take a sip from his cup. _“Regardless, they were good at what they did as Ladybug. It’s the same with you. You are a great Ladybug, even if your identity was found out. What you should do is follow your instincts and not overthink this, it always works for you, especially in a fight.”_ Marinette stared at her hand in wonder. He’s right, of course he’s right. He may have forbidden her from revealing her identity willingly, but this? This was accidental. It wasn’t her fault, and it doesn’t change the job well done she and Chat Noir have done. _“Now, I think there’s a kitten waiting for some attention. Thank you for calling Marinette, now go decide what your next course of action is.”_

“Yes– Yes absolutely, thank you Master Fu!” She hung up her phone and stood up, grabbing her yo-yo to call Chat Noir.  Others relinquished their Miraculous… Marinette shook her head and dialed Chat Noir. There was no response so she just left him a message. “Chat Noir, can you please meet me on my balcony as soon as you can, I need to talk to you.” She hung up and transformed back, hoping that he’d come soon. She uncovered her windows and climbed onto her balcony, looking out to Paris, watching people go about their day, and began to wait.

* * *

“You can’t do this!” Adrien cried, glaring at his father, refusing to sit when his father commanded him to. “You can’t ban me from associating with her. She’s one of my only friends! She needs me as well!” Gabriel waited as Adrien let out all of his frustration. He was expressionless gaze only infuriated Adrien more, and the lack of a response made him realize that his father didn’t care about how Adrien felt.

“You need to understand son that I’m only doing it to protect you. You’d get caught in the crossfire and–”

“What if it’s a hoax? What if it’s special effects someone used? Marinette was shaken because they used her image! People didn’t want to leave her alone and we had to help her!”

“Don’t play bodyguard for that girl! What if she _is_ Ladybug? They look so much alike! Too much alike. I can’t have you be in danger as well.” Gabriel walked up to Adrien and placed his hands on his shoulders. “I don’t want to lose you too, son.” Adrien’s heart broke at those words, but at the same time, he can’t be breaking his promise to Marinette. She means so much to him. His father was being overbearing.

“And do you really think that she’ll just let me be harmed? This is Ladybug we’re talking about! She’s saved my life multiple times before.”

“And what if she _isn’t_ Ladybug, and you’re in danger because the bad guy went after Marinette?”

“Then if that did happen, then that means I put myself between Marinette and the bad guy. Protecting her.” Adrien and Gabriel held eye contact for a long time, Gabriel astonished at Adrien’s words and how he’s not being his obedient self.

“You’re banned from going to school. I’ll be hiring a private tutor so you can start doing your studies at home again.”

“What?! You can’t do that!”

“Yes I can. I am your father and you live under my roof. What I say goes.”

“My father? You aren’t even around for dinner! My whole life I have been sheltered and I have always been obedient and respectful of your rules, hoping that maybe I’ll be spending some time with you. It’s few and far in between when we actually have some father and son time. I believed that you didn’t care about me, and now here you are pretending to care? Locking me up in my own house? I’m done, father! I’m done following your rules! Following the schedules you give me! I’m tired of feeling suffocated!” Adrien abruptly turned on his heel and started walking towards the door exiting the living room.

Gabriel called to him, “You need me to manage you so you don’t fail! Especially if you’re a model! You can’t do it by yourself.”

Turning to his father, with the door slightly ajar, Adrien glared and said “Then I guess I have no option but to fail.” He closed the door behind him, shaking with a lot of emotions and tears stung his eyes. Nathalie was standing there, looking at him with concern. She reached out to him and began to say something but instead he just ran past her to his bedroom, slamming his door. He leaned against the door and slid down, feeling a heaviness in his chest. This was his first time in a long time ever arguing with his own father. The last time was when he was a child, and his father was still being overbearing. At least his mother was there to diffuse the situation… Sobs wracked his body and there was nothing he could do to stop the sudden surge of tears from pouring out as he just began to agonize over everything happening. He was tired of his civilian life, of choices being made for him without his input or feelings. His only respite is being Chat Noir and spending time with his friends, and his Ladybug. That’s something that is going to be taken away from him if Hawkmoth attempts to do anything to her if he attacks her as Marinette. Marinette…

Plagg flew out of his hiding spot and floated in front of Adrien. “Whoa kid. I didn’t know you had that kind of fight within you. You usually obey quietly. I’m proud of you kid.” Adrien gave him a weak smile and sniffled.

“There’s really not much I can do other than give my dad the silent treatment and just not do what he says.”

“I suppose. But you are Chat Noir. You can do anything you want!”

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, a ridiculous idea that may grant him his freedom as a civilian if he pulled it off well. He’d have to hide as Chat Noir for the majority of the time, but that’s something he’s fine with. “Plagg, I just had the most insane idea. I’m running away.”

“ASDFGHJKL, What did you say??”

“I’m running away. I’ll stay patrolling the streets as Chat Noir and rest once in a while when I can hide from others. Perhaps stay with Marinette if her parents are okay with it. It would be easier to protect her that way. My dad will probably start a major search but I don’t care. I’ll just come to him as Chat Noir and tell him I’ll search for him.”

“That is a crazy idea! Not that I’m particularly against it, but still!”

“I know it’s crazy, but I’m still doing it. I don’t care anymore, I’m fed up.” Adrien grabbed his backpack and started packing some change of clothes and his toiletries. He rummaged through a dresser he tends to keep locked and pulled out the stash of Camembert that he keeps for Plagg, especially the the ones for his power ups. Plagg started to salivate at the sight of the containers as Adrien placed them in his bag. He closed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Then he opened his window so he can finally be free.

“Can I have a piece of Camembert before we–”

“Plagg, claws out!” Transformed, Chat Noir leapt out of his window, making sure to close it after him, and landed on a roof far way, unaware that soon after his departure, Nathalie and Gabriel walked into his bedroom to talk about what happened, only to find out that Adrien was absent, his phone left on his bed.

“First and foremost, I need to go see Marinette so we can talk and weigh her options.”

* * *

The sun set completely as Marinette continued to wait for Chat Noir, unaware that it was almost dinner time. She sat at her lounge chair, looking out in the distance for a glimpse of her partner, hoping to see him soon.

“Mind if I drop in, my lady?” The voice came from behind and startled her, causing her to fall from her lounge chair.”Princess! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The owner of the voice quickly went to her aid, holding her hand to help her up.

“Chat? Oh Chat!” Marinette embraced him tightly and tears of relief spilled from her eyes. “Oh I’m so happy to see you” Her tears hurt his heart, but her embrace healed it at the same time. He was so relieved to see her safe.

“I’m sorry I arrived late. Something unfortunately came up and I got your message not too long ago,” It hurt letting her go, but he held onto her hand as a compromise. “I came here as fast as I could.”

“You’re here now, so it doesn’t matter,” She pulled him down onto her lounge chair and they sat there in silence. After a few minutes of looking out onto the city, she turned to face Chat. “Chat, what should I do? My identity was revealed to the whole of Paris. Should I lie and say it was a hoax? Should I own up to it? Should I just give back my miraculous to Master Fu–”

“What? You can’t do that! Hawkmoth is still out there, and we need Ladybug to stop him and his akumas!” Chat looked worried. She was the best partner he can ever ask for. They worked together for a long time and their teamwork is near impeccable!

“My family and friends are in danger. Hawkmoth can easily find out where I live, and the news made it everyone’s business where I go to school. I can claim it was a hoax, but there will be skeptics. I can own up to it, and everyone will still be in danger. I could just give back the miraculous, and leave it all behind me…”

“The silence would just confirm that you were Ladybug, and no one would know you’ve given up being Ladybug, you’d still be in danger.”

“I’d just announce that I’m stepping down as Ladybug and that hopefully another one will come soon,” Her voice cracked at that sentence. “After that, I’ll just hope that the next Ladybug is a good partner to you.”

“No one can replace you, Marinette. No one would be just as clever, as-as beautiful, as strong. Please Marinette, please think about it…”

“What else can I do? I messed up this bad, might as well step down.”

“But what if an akuma attacks before another one steps up?”

“Then,” Marinette thought for a moment, stumped. “I– I guess I’ll become Ladybug. Temporarily. But for now,” Marinette held up the box that held the Ladybug miraculous. “Please take this back to Master Fu. I can’t do it because it would expose him too, and I don’t want to do that to him.”

“My lady…” He stared as Marinette placed the box in his hand. He then placed it safe and sound in his backpack, hidden between some shirts.

She gave him a weak smile, what she said next hurt her and Chat Noir, “Who knows, maybe you’re more compatible with the next Ladybug and she’ll return your feelings…” Chat gasped.

“My lady! I would never! I have had only eyes for you!”

“No kitty, you have had eyes for Ladybug, not me. I’m pretty sure you feel disappointed to find out that I’m Ladybug.”

“Disappointed? Never. Confused? A bit yeah. For the longest time I just considered you a friend. But realizing that I’ve known you longer than I thought I have, I’m thinking I’m just wrong.”

“Oh kitty. That’s sweet for you to say… but you know I have feelings for someone else…” Chat peered at her as she looked forlorn. “Unfortunately, I think I won’t see him ever again…”

“Who is it, if you don’t mind me asking. Seeing as how I already know your identity, it really wouldn’t endanger it… only if you want to tell me.”

Marinette thought about it. Maybe she should tell him, that way she can also let him know it’s another reason why she’s so sad. Perhaps Chat can keep Adrien safe too.

“Okay, I’ll tell you. Please don’t laugh…”

“I purromise I won’t, Purrincess.” Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled at his pun and took took a deep breath.

“It’s A–” The door to her room opened up and Tom popped his head out.

“Marinette, dinner time. Oh, Chat Noir! Good to see you again!” Tom climbed through the opening and shook Chat’s hand. “Did you guys talk things out?

“Good to see you again too sir. And Yes we did. I feel like Marinette has some things to tell you about some tough decisions.” Understanding what he meant, Tom glumly nodded his head, and gave his daughter a sad look. Marinette held her arm and stared at the floor.

“Well, whatever happens, happens. But for now, it’s time for dinner. Chat, you are free to join us if you want.” Chat’s eyes lit up as he clasped his hands together. Dinner sounds delicious, especially since he can’t go back home to have some. Oh boy…

“Um…”

“What is it Chat?” Marinette asked.

“I know this is a lot to ask of you, but… I was kicked out of my house, and I don’t have anywhere to go at the moment… Is.. is it okay if I stay temporarily? I-I promise that I’ll work around your house, and maybe help in the bakery. Of course I’ll protect all of you if I have to.”

“But what about your identity?” Marinette stared at Chat. “You can’t stay as Chat Noir all the time.”

“We do have that spare bedroom that he can use in his down time,” Tom answered, thinking.

“What about school?”

“What about school? They can miss me for a few days. It’s not like I’ll be attending wherever I’m going anymore. My-uh- parent is being unreasonable, so you know what. I’m ditching.”

“Chat!”

“You are more important right now, Marinette. I can catch up whenever. But all of this is unfair to you, I want to help you.” Chat and Marinette held eye contact for a solid minute and then Marinette nodded.

“Good. Then, let’s go have dinner and talk seriously about all of this,” Tom let the two teens enter before him, making sure to securely lock the door before leaving Marinette’s room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goodness, I did not anticipate the length of this chapter. It’s more than twice the last chapter’s word count. A lot has changed from what originally intended, but it won’t drastically change the original plot. There are some points that someone brought up in the last chapter that aren't in this chapter, but I promise they're coming up!  
> (BTW the first four chapter are already posted on Tumblr! I've just been posting here for easier reading)


	3. A New Ladybug?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette steps down and Chat has to return the miraculous to Master Fu.

“Please be safe, kitty,” Marinette called out to Chat Noir, who headed off to go see Master Fu. “It’s really late anything can happen.”

“Don’t worry my lady, I know how to defend myself, I’ll be back before you know it,” he gave her a wink before disappearing into the darkness. Marinette giggled and shook her head at the ever flirty Chat. She had to call Master Fu ahead of time to make sure he hasn’t turned in for the night, despite it only being the early evening. Sometimes he liked to turn in early to get up early to go to the park. Apparently there was a television show he was interested in at the moment, so conveniently, he’s still up, watching. They let him know that Chat Noir was going to drop by and give him the miraculous and to talk about a few things.

Marinette shivered and walked back into her room for warmth. Odd because it was approaching summer, chills were uncommon summer nights. She sat down and started working on her homework to pass the time while she waited for Chat Noir. It was very silent and she felt very lonely. Tikki always kept her company while she worked, always giving her encouragement and ideas. Marinette already missed Tikki and half of her wished that she didn’t give up the miraculous, but she thought it was the necessary thing to do. Still, the loneliness was suffocating and she hoped that Chat Noir hurried back.

* * *

Chat Noir landed on the rooftop of the apartment complex where Master Fu resided, looking around and making sure no one has spotted him. Confirming that the coast was clear, Chat transformed back into Adrien and gave Plagg a wedge of Camembert. Still carrying his backpack, Adrien set it down and pulled out a simple black hoodie, a green beanie and a pair of lens-less glasses so that no one would recognize him and ask questions.

“You stick out like a sore thumb, kid. A hoodie? Beanie? It’s almost summer, not winter!” Plagg bit into the wedge as he gave Adrien a once over. Adrien rolled his eyes as he pulled up the hood over his head.

“Relax Plagg. It’s kinda chilly out, so this is appropriate for right now. Besides, I just have to deliver the miraculous to Master Fu, and just head back. In and out.” Adrien began to descend to Master Fu’s floor, hiding whenever he heard anyone in the vicinity.

Finally approaching Fu’s door, Adrien knocked a few times and waited patiently. After a few minutes, Wang Fu answered the door and quickly let Adrien in and locked his door. All of the blinds were closed in the apartment. “Thanks for seeing me at such a time. Marinette thought the sooner the miraculous got back to you, the sooner you can find a new Ladybug,” Adrien pulled out the box from his backpack and held it out to the Guardian, expecting him to immediately grab it and hide it, but Wang just stared at the box thoughtfully.

“What do you think, Chat?” Wang asked, suddenly turning his back to Adrien and walked towards his stove to start making some tea.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Adrien placed the box into the pocket of the hoodie and followed him into the kitchen, where he sat down and waited for an answer.

“Do you think Marinette made the right decision?” Wang asked, setting the kettle on the stove, turning it on so that it could heat up. The question caught Adrien off guard.

“Well, she thinks it’s the right decision, so of course i’m going to support her–”

“Let me rephrase the question… Do you want Marinette to stop being Ladybug?” Taken aback, Adrien stared at Wang, wondering where he’s going with this.

“Personally, I don’t want her to stop being Ladybug, I think she’s the best there is, and we work so well together. But this isn’t about what I want, Master Fu. Why did you ask me that question?”

“Because I agree with you, Adrien. Marinette was one of the best Ladybugs I have ever had the pleasure of choosing. She’s very smart and kind, you two work together like Yin and Yang. I don’t want her to step down.” Master Fu poured water into some tea cups with some tea already in infusers. “Besides, I’m sure Tikki wouldn’t want to say goodbye to Marinette just yet.”

“It’s true… But it was her decision, she was set on it, even if it made her sad. I know she doesn’t want to stop being Ladybug, but she thinks it’s the best choice. I’m not going to disrespect that with what I want.” Adrien took the teacup from Wang and thanked him for the tea. Wang just gave him a big smile and nodded.

“That is the right answer, Adrien.”

“What?” Adrien had the cup up to his lips but paused.

“I was thinking about who to choose to be the next Ladybug, but, you have proven that you are fully capable of doing that yourself. Putting your feelings aside for what’s best. You have grown much.”

“Wait, so are you saying you want me to choose the next Ladybug? But I’d know her identity, wouldn’t that violate the rule you have given us?” Wang chuckled and sat across from Adrien.

“I suppose it would, but Marinette knows the identities of Rena Rouge and Carapace. And we all know Queen Bee’s identity. So let’s make an exception. I get the feeling it’s going to work out better than we think it is.” Adrien pulled out the box in his pocket and stared at it.

“That’s such a huge responsibility… I’m not sure–”

“Like I said, Adrien, you have proven yourself worthy of making that decision. It’s going to turn out better than we think it is. I trust you.” Adrien snapped his eyes up too look at his master, who was smiling at him. “You are one of the best Chat Noirs I have had the pleasure of choosing as well. You do tend to be a bit pushy with Ladybug, but I’m glad you’re calming that down right now. Now go, Marinette is waiting for you.” Adrien nodded and placed the box inside his backpack, keeping it safe. He got up to leave when Master Fu stopped him. “Before you go, I just want to let you and Marinette know that I’m proud of the both of you. Now go!” Adrien’s eyes stung with tears and thanked. Wang shut the door after Adrien and locked up tight. It’s going to be our hardest fight yet, but I believe in the both of them.  
Adrien hurried to the rooftop feeling ecstatic. “Did you hear that, Plagg? He said he was proud of Marinette and I. I have not heard anyone tell me that since… Since mother was still around. It…” Adrien burst onto the roof and stared up at the beautiful full moon, shedding a few tears. “It feels really nice. Plagg, claws out!” His form changed, but the hoodie, beanie and glasses remained. Weird, but okay. He sprung up from where he stood, and went on his way back to Marinette’s.

* * *

Marinette paced along her balcony a bit too fast, glancing out into the night, hoping for Chat Noir to arrive fast. “Oh kitty, I hope nothing happens to you and you get back safely.” The chill got slightly worse and Marinette headed downstairs so she could grab a blanket, leaving her phone resting on her lounge chair. It suddenly lit up with Luka’s name taking up the screen, quietly ringing for a few seconds, but then it stopped. Marinette walked back up and noticed it ringing a second time. Picking up the phone, and stared at the screen with a confused look on her face.

“Luka?,” She finally answered, feeling a slight blush brush across her face. “H-hey what’s up?”

_“Marinette! Oh thank god you’re alright, I tried to call you a bit earlier, but you didn’t answer. It got me worried there.”_

“Oh I’m fine, I was just away from my phone for a bit.” Marinette sat at the edge of the chair, wrapping the thin blanket around her shoulders. She heard a sigh of relief on the other side, causing her heart to flutter a bit. She shook her head to get rid of the feeling. It would be nice if it was Adrien on the other side… Again she shook her head and focused on Luka talking.

_“I wasn’t paying attention to the mainstream media, but when Juleka got home from Rose’s, she immediately let me know what was going on. I knew I had to call you as soon as possible. How have you been all day?”_

“I’ve.. had my fluctuations of moods all day. I mean, my civilian identity was exposed, so there’s only so much I can do for damage control, which isn’t much really…”

_“How about saying it was a hoax?”_

“That’s a kind of half and half thing really. Already a lot of people believe it, and I’m sure Hawkmoth wouldn’t believe that anyway, he’s too smart.”

 _“Obviously not as smart as you. But still, it’s worth a shot.”_ Hearing this, maybe she should have gone with saying it’s a hoax, and hopefully a lot could be resolved. But she gave up her miraculous already. She buried her head in her hands.

“I can’t do that because I already decided to step down as Ladybug and gave back my miraculous…”

_“Oh… Gave back your miraculous? To who? Maybe they can give it back?”_

Marinette scrambled to respond, “Ah, er, well, I-I can’t tell you that, and the person probably already gave it to someone else, someone more… worthy. Someone who won’t mess up as bad as I did.” Marinette stood up and walked to the railing of her balcony, sadly looking out to the rooftops.

_“Don’t say that Marinette. Of course you’re worthy. How long were you Ladybug?”_

“About the good part of a year, possibly longer.”

 _“That’s quite a while of hiding your identity. That’s pretty good, I’m sure some people can’t do that for two days.”_ Marinette giggled. She remembered how Chat wanted to reveal his identity to her soon after they became heroes, and Chloe, the exact moment she transformed.

“I’ll say Chat Noir was almost someone. Only to me though, so it wasn’t as drastic.”

 _“That Chat Noir… Have… You two spoken yet?”_ He sounded a bit resentful. It sounded almost like jealousy.

“Y-yes, as a matter of fact, I asked him to return the miraculous for me. He was kicked out from his civilian home so he’s crashing (with my parent’s permission) at my place until he can go back. In the meantime, he’ll be protecting my family and I until a new Ladybug arrives.”

 _“Why was he kicked out?”_ He didn’t hide the accusatory tone dripping from his words.

“He didn’t tell me. Regardless, he’s my partner and I trust him completely. I just hope everything gets resolved for him. I wouldn’t want whatever to bring him down.” There was silence on the other end of the phone, making Marinette a bit nervous. “Luka?”

_“I-I’m sorry. Something just came up, are you sure you’re going to be fine for tonight?”_

“I swear I’m okay at the moment, you don’t need to worry about a thing. Thank you for calling to make sure I’m okay,” Marinette gently smiled. She appreciates his concern but for tonight, she knows she’ll be fine, despite the chill she’s been getting.

_“Okay, then have a good night, Marinette.”_

“Good night Luka!” Marinette hung up her phone and stared out, again looking for Chat Noir. She felt a bit crestfallen. Luka called her and made sure she was okay, but the whole time, she felt like she wished it was someone else talking to her, someone like Adrien, but he hasn’t messaged her all day. Maybe his dad took away his phone….

* * *

“He wants me to choose the next Ladybug.” Chat took a moment to think on the roof nearby Marinette’s balcony. He saw her sitting on her lounge chair, and it seemed like she was talking on the phone, but she didn’t notice him watching. “I really wish I can choose her as my Ladybug. No one can ever replace her. But she’s insisting on not being Ladybug… Why does master Fu have to make this so hard on me? Why does he want me to pick? I know he said because I have learned to put my feelings aside for the greater good. But what if choosing Marinette is for the greater good? UGH this is so hard and confusing!” Chat slid a little ways down the roof onto the ledge. He kept watching as Marinette leaned on the balcony, still talking on the phone. Her raven black hair faintly glowing in the moonlight, her skin radiant as ever. She was still in her cute pink dress, with a thin blanket draped over her shoulders. He never really realized how cute Marinette was. He was so busy pining after Ladybug that he never really paid really close attention to Marinette. Technically they’re the same person, but still. “I’m still so confused. Is she just a friend or am I seeing her in a different light?” Chat Noir shook his head, frustrated at himself and finally decided to arrive at Marinette’s balcony.

“–swear I’m okay at the moment, you don’t need to worry about a thing. Thank you for calling to make sure I’m okay,” Marinette was too ingrained in her conversation to notice Chat landing on her balcony with a loud thud. “Good night Luka!” The name Luka pierced Chat Noir though his heart, suddenly spreading jealousy all over his body. Chat decided to ignore the sudden surge of emotion and cleared his throat gently, startling her a bit.

“Was that your boyfriend, my lady?” Chat tried to tease, but his voice caught a bit at “boyfriend.” He hid his face in the shadows to hide the pain on his face. Marinette shook her head and giggled a bit.

“Chat! Nice outfit, it is a bit chilly out, weirdly. Don’t worry kitty. He’s just a friend.”

Chat was inclined to retort with “Yeah sure,” but he realized that he constantly said that about Marinette whenever Plagg teased him about her. His own “medicine” was used against him and now the last two brain cells in his head are starting to work overtime to figure out something.

The reason why he was very confused; he never not noticed her, he constantly noticed her; he wasn’t seeing her in a different light, he was just finally realizing what Plagg had been trying to tell him all the time. Adrien Agreste was in denial about his feelings for Marinette. He was just so infatuated with Ladybug that he let it overshadow Marinette. _“Go for a different target,”_ He remembered Kagami telling him. Welp, he’s stupid. He always assumed that she was talking about herself, well maybe she was, but it doesn’t change the fact that if he went after Marinette, he’d still date the girl he loves.

“Besides, I like someone else…” Marinette sadly looked up at the moon and sighed, leaving Chat perplexed. He was about to ask who, but seeing her looking so sad made him change his mind and he decided that he’ll get his answer when she’s ready.

“Let’s get you inside. It’s getting chillier,” Chat opened the hatch to her bedroom and gestured for her to enter, “my lady.” Marinette giggled and gave him a slight playful curtsy, walking down to her bedroom, followed closely by Chat Noir. “May I use your shower?” Chat tried to subtly sniff his armpits, he did feel a bit dirty today.  Marinette gave him a sheepish smile.

“I was going to shower before I headed to bed,” Marinette scratched the back of her head. “I feel like a shower would reinvigorate me after everything going on today.”

“Oh you go first then, Princess. I’m sure you need it more than I do. I can go afterwards.”

“Thank you kitty. I’ll help you settle into the spare bedroom. It’s actually connected to the bathroom. So you can sneak in after I finish,” Marinette grabbed Chat’s hand, which caused some fluttering of the butterflies in his stomach. She guided him to the bedroom which was a bit small, but cozy. A queen size bed rested in the corner nearest the window, with lovely light blue sheets and a white with silver fleur de lis patterned duvet covering the mattress. The pillows, same pattern as the duvet, looked large, soft and fluffy, Adrien knew he was going to have the best sleep ever. An oak nightstand stood next to the bed with a simple little lamp and an alarm. An oak dresser stood nearby the door and across from the bed was the door into the bathroom. Chat trotted to the bed and sat down, firm but not too firm, just like he likes it. “I hope it’s okay. It’s for the very occasional guests we get.” Chat Noir flashed her a dazzling smile and nodded.

“I think it’s perfect,” Chat laid down and tested out the pillows. They feel like fluffy clouds, so heavenly. “I’ll be crashing hard after my shower.”

“Make sure your hair is completely dry before you do. You’ll get sick,” Marinette warned, pouting her face and wiggling her finger. Chat laughed and Marinette joined.

“Okay mom, whatever you say mom,” Chat crossed his arms and dramatically scoffed. More giggling ensued.

“I’m going to go shower now so that you can too. I’ll see you in a bit kitty.”

“Take your time, my purrincess.” Chat shot her a wink as she closed the door. As soon as he was sure she was gone, he transformed back to himself, pulling out two slices of Camembert for Plagg to devour gleefully.

“My gosh kid, it’s exhausting to be Chat Noir all day. I’m pooped. I’m going to have the best cat nap since ever,” Plagg began to wiggle himself onto one of the pillows with one of his slices, apparently in complete bliss. Adrien rolled his eyes and smiled. Typical Plagg. Shrugging off his black hoodie and finally pulling off the beanie and glasses (which he looked amazing in), Adrien started getting ready for his shower. Pulling out pajamas, and his toiletries, he set them on the nightstand, having them ready for when Marinette gets out of the shower. He hears the shower turn on and began to wait, wondering what he should do in the meantime. “I should have brought my phone or a book or something, Now I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Why did you leave your phone behind? I noticed that you did it on purpose,” Plagg was still lounging on the pillow, not a crumb of cheese on sight. He might be a slob, but he wouldn’t dare waste an ounce of Camembert.

“My dad could probably trace it and I just really want to get away from him, at least for  few days,” Adrien lay down on the bed and rested his head on the pillows, staring up at the ceiling.

“How long do you actually plan on staying away? He will raise an alarm, and search parties will happen.”

“I’ll just go to him as Chat Noir and tell him that I’ve got it under control. I obviously know that I’m okay, because I’m Chat Noir and I know Adrien is okay because I’m Adrien.”

“Do you really think he’ll be convinced that you’ve got it under control as Chat Noir?” Adrien shot him a glare but Plagg shrugged and just snuggled back onto the pillow. “You know your dad, he’s a piece of work.” Adrien sighed and closed his eyes, trying to think on what he should do if his dad raises an alarm. Maybe transform back as Adrien and come out of nowhere and let him know he’s okay, he just wants to be away for a while? Let him know as Chat Noir that Adrien doesn’t want to see him? Or just go back? NAH.

“I don’t know Plagg. I just wish he wasn’t so controlling. He doesn’t understand how much Marinette means to me. Protect me? He’s just holding me back…”

“Holding you back from what exactly? You have it all to be honest. A great career as a model, a rich dad, popularity,” Plagg turned to face Adrien, who had his eyebrows furrowed and a frown.

“I don’t care about that. I just want friends I can spend more time with, I want to do my own things, and for my dad to not be so busy that I end up alone during dinner… Having dinner like a family. Like today with Marinette’s parents. It felt very nice…” Adrien turned and faced the wall, wanting to hide the tears that spilled out of nowhere. “I think I just want companionship in general. It’s… it’s something Ladybug gave me, even if it was unexpected. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere, right there, by her side, fighting, flirting, being accepted… Just having that taken away from me hurts…”

“Well why not just have a relationship with Marinette. She was technically Ladybug, just date her and all your problems would be solved.” _Especially that convoluted love square thing that Sugar Cube and I have been watching for a long time. We both agree, it’s ridiculous._

“I can’t. I can’t because I would put her in danger. She may not be Ladybug anymore, but if Hawkmoth knew, he could use it against me…” He faced the ceiling again.

“It’s not like you completely lost all your friends. Marinette is still here. Heck, You’re in her house for cheese’s sake. Then there’s Your guy friend and his girlfriend… uhhh”

“Nino and Alya.”

“Yeah those two and blegh, I guess Chloe.” Adrien chuckled. He understood Plagg’s distaste, but he’s got her all wrong.

“Chloe isn’t that bad. She just… needs help getting along with others. She’s also been lonely, so I can see why she acts up… I just don’t want to lose Marinette. She’s been so amazing towards me. Even if she’d get nervous. I don’t know why though…” Adrien didn’t notice Plagg facepalm loudly beside him. There was a gentle knock on the door connecting the bedroom and bathroom, and Marinette’s voice chimed from the other side, “It’s your turn now, kitty. Take all the time you need!”

Bowing, although she wasn’t there to see, Adrien purred “Thank you my Purrincess. I’ll be going in soon.” He heard a giggle and footsteps walking away. “At least I’ve made her laugh a bit few times.” He then entered the bathroom and prepared for a nice, steamy shower.

* * *

Marinette sat on the chair at her vanity, still wearing her bathrobe, pulling the towel from her head, letting her damp hair fall to her shoulders. She grabbed her comb and began to detanlge her hair.

_“You really did fool them, no one would have suspected a thing. Though, now that I think about it… You two do look a lot alike. I’m surprised no one caught that– Well… one person did though.”_

The thought bounced around in her head in the shower and it continued to do so, aggravating Marinette with every passing. _“I have to tell someone about what she did. I have to but will anyone believe me? I would have been fine if she didn’t catch me. Nothing would have changed. Like it usually does. Going back to normal… I am back to being normal…”_ Marinette stared at her reflection. _“Just a normal girl, with a normal life. Everyone knows about me… It’s not a secret anymore. I have to go back to that. I… I don’t want to go back to that… I don’t want to go back to being a nobody. Someone who’s not worthy… I just don’t… I want to keep helping people, I want to… I want to keep fighting alongside Chat Noir… And be with Tikki. I miss her…”_ The pillow looked empty without Tikki lying down, reading a book or magazine. Her advice whenever Marinette was stuck on something. All of the uplifting words uttered when doubt and self consciousness arose. Tikki was such a positive influence on her. _“I hope the next Ladybug appreciates her as much I do.”_ Marinette finished combing her hair and let it be so it could air dry. She began looking through her drawers for a nice clean pair of pajamas when there was a gentle knock on the hatch on the floor. “Yeah?” Chat’s voice carried through but she couldn’t understand what he said, so she knelt down, lifted the hatch a bit, revealing a Chat Noir looking up with his hair still wet from the shower. “What’s up?” She and Chat made eye contact which seemed to last a moment then his eyes accidentally wandered downwards and he looked away quickly, flustered and abruptly red. He barely noticed she was still in her bathrobe, and that her bathrobe was slightly askew, though not revealing anything. Chat realized at that moment that he was a bit innocent.

“I-I was wondering if you were doing okay and wanted to talk, b-but y-you’re still dressing up, I-I can wait until you’re ready,” He leapt quietly to the ground and sat at the bottom of the stairs, facing away from her and fiddling with his fingers. Confused by what just happened, Marinette resumed to getting dressed. When she finished, she fished Chat from his perch at the bottom of the stairs and they headed up to her balcony again to let the outside air dry out their hair.

“I wanted to ask you if you have any idea of who could possibly be the one to record you and spread the video. I’d like to have a nice little chat to chat with them. I have my theories, but I want to hear your input first,” the full moon shone upon them brightly as Chat stared intently at Marinette, who wore a stony face as soon as he said “who”.

“Funny you ask that seeing as how I was thinking about the person who held me captive in the bathroom at school admitted it to me,” she said through gritted teeth, eyes growing dark. Chat almost gasped out the name of who, but he knew as Adrien who it was, Chat didn’t.

“Admitted?” Chat furrowed his eyebrows, wanting to confirm this. He remembers Lila walking out of the bathroom, at first concerned but the brief look of malice was unforgettable. He just knew she was up to something, but not to this extent.

“Lila Rossi. She cornered me in the bathroom and told me ‘Who would have known that Marinette Dupain-Cheng was Ladybug. You really did fool them, no one would have suspected a thing. Though, now that I think about it… You two do look a lot alike. I’m surprised no one caught that– Well… one person did though.’ Then she waved her phone as if saying it was her. Then she did a total 180 when Alya stepped in to comfort me. She’s malicious and devious. I didn’t want to dislike her but…”

“You don’t like liars,” his attention was directed dark street underneath, as if he was hoping that it would show him Lila’s reasoning why she would do that.

“She also threatened me a few months ago. When she turned into Chameleon. Do you remember that? I got fed up with her lies so I hid in the bathroom to chill out. She then followed me to continue lying saying that she doesn’t know why I don’t like her, saying that I’m jealous because I wasn’t able to sit next to– sigh..– saying that we shouldn’t fight over a boy and that she may be able to help me get close to him. That’s when I called her out on her lies. She then told me that she only says what people want to hear–”

“That’s technically lying.”

“That’s what I said. Then she threatened to turn all of my friends, including my crush against me if I didn’t side with her.” Chat stared at Marinette with wide eyes, his eyes furrowing, and he frowned deeply. He slammed his hand on the railing.

“That little– Have you told anyone?” Chat doesn’t remember Nino or Alya telling him about this.

“For some reason, everyone seems to believe her over me. Even if I tried to tell Alya and Nino, they wouldn’t believe me. They… They believe a strange girl over their friend–” Marinette’s shoulders fell and she glanced away. She clasped her hands together on the railing and began to fidget. “What did I do to make everyone mistrust me?” Adrien has not felt so betrayed in his life. His own best friend and Alya, Marinette’s best friend, not trusting Marinette, the girl who does so much for them– for everyone– only to be tossed aside like fodder?

“I trust you, Marinette,” Chat placed his hand on Marinette’s to calm her down. “I know my bugaboo wouldn’t lie about something like this. You have always been a trustworthy partner, and a caring friend. I don’t know what’s wrong with your friends, but I’m not mad at them. I’m just highly disappointed in them.” He’ll have to have a word with the both of them at some point over this, when this all blows over. He shouldn’t be saying anything though… He, as Adrien, has told Marinette to not do anything about Lila’s lies, thinking that hopefully her lies would come crashing on her. It’s only come to this.

“Thank you kitty, that– that really means a lot to me,” Marinette sniffled, moving her gaze up to the moon, shedding one little tear. Chat was moved by how stunning she looked under the moonlight. The blueness of her eyes were somehow enhanced, and her skin was radiant and smooth, her hair has dried now and it was slightly fluffy and it framed her face beautifully. She caught him staring at her, but he refused to move his eyes from hers. His handsome green eyes shone under the moonlight, and his golden hair almost glimmered. His skin looked smooth from what she could see, and the faint smile she gave him was dazzling, Marinette was slightly mesmerized. She felt little butterflies flutter in her stomach and a very faint blush brushed across her face as they unknowingly inched towards each other. Their lips were mere inches away when they both realized what was going on and quickly pulled away, stammering.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to–”

“I-I’m the one who got close–”

They both faced away blushing, fidgeting and tapping their feet in ecstatic embarrassment.

“I-I’m sorry, I know you like someone and I shouldn’t have gotten close like that, you just look stunning under the moonlight and…” Chat cleared his throat and sheepishly glanced at Marinette, who gave him a bashful smile.

“Oh Chat. It’s not like he likes me anyway. So many other girls are after him, and well, as Chloe has said, I’m not worthy of him. Kagami is probably more worthy–”

“Wait, wait, Chloe said that?”

“Y-yeah.” Chat howled with laughter, doubling over holding his stomach.

“She’s really one to talk– Wait, Kagami…?”

“Yeah, she and Adrien seem to be spending a lot of time together, and it just seems like it’s a matter of time before they get together– Kitty, a-are you okay?” Chat stood stock still after hearing his name. The dots were finally connecting and Chat could only think about how Marinette said his name.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m,” Chat coughed “I’m processing this information. You like Adrien Agreste?” Marinette blushed at his name and looked away, nodding. “He’s a good guy, almost as handsome as me, possibly even more handsome.” Marinette giggled. His heart fluttered happily. He was desperately holding back his joy. His feet were threatening to jump and his heart was about to burst. She likes Adrien Agreste, Chat is Adrien Agreste.

“He’s dreamy, and kind, and has many talents, it’s no wonder many girls like him. Chloe, Kagami, Lila–”

“I don’t think he’d like Lila. Trust me, she really isn’t anyone to fawn over, especially if you’re in the picture,” Chat winked at her, causing her to gently hit his arm, blushing. He giggled gently and gave her a tight hug. “Everything will work out in the end. I promise.” He held her at arm’s length and held out his pinky, just like he did before he left earlier as Adrien. She gasped softly and she held his pinky with hers. She recognized the gesture, but didn’t connect the dots quite yet. “Let’s go to bed, we have tomorrow to face and we need to be well rested.” Marinette nodded and they both headed down into her room, Marinette securely locking the hatch and Chat Noir adding a pole for extra security. “Oh, before I go, please tell Alya and Nino about what Lila did. Please.They need to know.” Marinette stared with wide eye but she nodded.

“I’ll tell them tomorrow morning.” They bid each other good night and Chat quickly rushed to his bedroom to quickly transform back. He began to do a little excited dance as Plagg watched him.

“She likes me, Plagg!”

“What? Really? You?”

“Yes! Me as Adrien! Can you believe that?! Marinette likes me. Oh my god, and we almost kissed before that.” Adrien flopped down on the floor and began to roll around, covering his blushing face.

“Kid, you’re embarrassing me.”

“Sorry Plagg, I can’t help it! It’s just, who knew it would be so perfect like that?” He lay flat on his back on the floor and stared,smiling gleefully. “It’s almost like a dream.”

“Yeah, well, sorry to burst your bubble, but remember what you said earlier about you two dating?” Plagg, hovered over his face, and Adrien frowned.

“Yeah, thanks for spoiling that. Couldn’t you let me have one good thing after all of the crap that happened today?”

“Nope! Let’s go to sleep, I am exhausted.” Plagg flew towards  the bed and snuggled onto the pillow. Adrien rolled his eyes and he got up and switched off the lights, flopping onto the bed and he let sweet sweet sleep take over.

But sweet sweet sleep did not take over. The sudden thought of finding a new Ladybug suddenly took over his thoughts. He wondered who would be a good candidate for such an important position. Who does he know would make an exceptional Ladybug?

Chloe? No, she's not patient at all and can be very selfish at times. Besides, she's Queen Bee, she does not need any more powers.

Alya? Maybe. But she isn't as trustworthy as she likes to think she is. For goodness' sake, she doesn't believe her own best friend about Lila lying. How could he trust her to have his back in a battle?

Nathalie? She's his dad's assistant, he'd rather not.

That left Kagami.

Out of all of the girls he knows well, Kagami was the one who seems to be the more qualified candidate. She's sharp and her reflexes were precise. She doesn't let her emotions cloud her judgement and she can read movements, especially in fencing. She can be brash, but it's only a front, as she has shown a soft side to him as Adrien. How would she act towards him as Chat Noir? Maybe he can find out in some way before deciding.

Adrien stared at the ceiling, mulling over his options, blinking slowly as his tired eyes stung. Plagg was silently snoring beside his head and the rhythm of his breathing was lulling Adrien into sleep.

Adrien thought of Marinette as sweet sweet sleep _finally_ took over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I acknowledge that there is a lot of Marichat in this  
> Not sorry!  
> I am sorry if it a bit slow though.  
> But I do hope you have enjoyed this chapter.  
> Edit: I have added more to this chapter than what was originally was there. I realized it would be nice to add to Adrien's thought process of who he will choose.


	4. Backstabber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette finally tells Alya and Nino about Lila

Marinette couldn’t locate her her usual pink jeans in her pile of clean clothes, she swore she could have washed them a few days ago. The only thing she could find was a pair of pink shorts and a navy blue skater skirt with pink embroidery cat prints she designed a month ago. She hasn’t shown it off to everyone yet so might as well do it now that everyone has their attention on her. She put on a white tank top with the same design as her usual t-shirts, and a pink denim jacket over it, not changing up her usual color scheme but switching it up a bit. Black leggings, a pair of pink “ballet” flats, and black earrings were a final touch. She placed her finished homework in her backpack and put it on, ready to deal with whatever today will bring. A lot happened yesterday, and a lot more is going to happen today, something bad. She can feel it in the chilly wind that has been going on since last night. She felt like she needed to prepare a little more. Her instincts told her she needed to place chocolate chip cookies in her purse so she kept that in mind as she placed a few more things in her backpack, like some rope she likes to have as backup and some heavy duty tape. Now she felt like she could take on the world a bit, or at least try to be helpful in some way. She slung the backpack over her shoulder and headed downstairs to have some breakfast. She froze on the last step of the stairs when she realized who was sitting on the couch in the living room. Chloe sat nervously on the largest couch, with Chat Noir leaning up against the wall nearby, wearing the black hoodie again. They both looked up as Marinette cautiously approached.

“Ch-Chloe?” Marinette gave Chloe a slow once over as Chloe stood up abruptly, trying to hide the troubled look on her face with a snooty one. Marinette and Chat Noir give each other a knowing look.

“Dupain-Cheng,” she tried to say in her usual condescending voice, but it wavered. She tried to pout to hide her feelings, but she relented, walking up to Marinette, grabbing her shoulders. “Marinette, there is a crowd of people surrounding the school today.”

“What?!” Marinette ran to one of the windows facing the school to peek through and a large crowd has accumulated at the entrance of the schools, causing a commotion with students trying to get through so they could get to school, forcing them to go through the crowd to get to the front door. Police began to arrive started setting up barricades to make a path so students could pass through. Marinette was mortified at the display. All of this because she was exposed and displayed on the news where she went to school. It appears that a lot of people were holding up signs and some were wearing Ladybug merch. They were celebrating her. At the same time though they were causing mayhem and blocking people from going to school. Marinette buried her face in her hands and let out a desperate cry. “This is a disaster.”

“You need to go as Ladybug and tell them to leave,” Chloe demanded, peeking through the gap Marinette was looking through. Marinette tensed up and slowly looked at Chloe with a grimace.

“I-ah- gave back the miraculous to the Guardian of the Miraculous.”

“You did what?! Are you stepping down as Ladybug?!” Chloe stepped back and crossed her arms. “Why would you do that? Hawkmoth could strike at any moment and Ladybug would be needed to stop him”

“I gave it back so that he can pick another Ladybug!” No one noticed as Chat Noir tensed up. He was suddenly reminded of the Ladybug miraculous currently hiding in his hoodie pocket, ready to be given to a chosen Ladybug. “One who is more trustworthy and wouldn’t get exposed like I did. Wouldn’t you agree with that, Chloe?” Chloe was taken aback. “You have always said I wasn’t worthy of anything.” Chloe’s eyes watered as she remembered calling Marinette not worthy, especially not worthy of Adrien. The words crushingly bit her and she regretted what she told Marinette at the party.

“ _A bit too late though,_ ” Chloe thought. She needed to apologize for what she has said. But there was so much that has happened between the two of them. All of the bullying Marinette endured because of her. Chloe harbored resentment towards Marinette for who knows what, but yesterday had put everything she believed about Marinette to a hard stop. She’s been at odds with herself and she just needed to talk to Marinette about it all. “What does that matter now? You’ve been a reliable Ladybug for a while now! Don’t stop now!”

“Oh, now that you know that I was Ladybug, you want to respect me? Even though you haven’t given Marinette the same courtesy?”  Marinette stood to her full height, glaring at Chloe. She looked away and held her arm, ashamed of everything she’s done to Marinette. The scene before her made Marinette’s anger falter. Chat Noir stared tensely at both girls and was prepared to to interrupt in case a big argument ensued.

Chloe hated this. She hated knowing Ladybug was Marinette. She hated that everyone knew that she adored Ladybug and started questioning her about her feelings about this conundrum. She hated how some teased her about it and how others think she’ll just respect Marinette now because she was Ladybug. She hated that she had to spend all night staying up, figuring out how she feels and what to do next. She then realized one thing she really needed to know and see where it takes her from there.

“Why me…?”

“What?”

“Why did you choose me as Queen Bee? We don’t like each other. Obviously I messed up when I first found the Bee miraculous. But you gave me second chance. Why?”

Marinette’s answer was swift, “Because I know you can do better. And I feel with the influence of Pollen, Chat Noir and I as Ladybug, you can change for the better. Also you seemed to be the perfect candidate at the time when your father was Akumatized. You don’t fall easily for power.” Chloe stared wide eyed at Marinette and nodded.

“Well of course I don’t fall for those in power, I am Chloe Bourgeois,” she flipped her ponytail and struck a small pose, causing Marinette and Chat Noir to roll their eyes and smile.

“I mean, you are impressed by Ladybug’s power though, and I was Ladybug, so I guess you can say you were impressed by me,” Marinette teased, giving Chloe a sly smirk. Blushing, Chloe looked away, pouting while crossing her arms. “I– I wanted to start treating you with a bit of respect after choosing you. Ms. Bustier did tell me that you struggled with being kind and that we need to guide you to that path. However, I can’t change you, Chloe. You have to decide if you want to change or not. I did– do want to change my attitude towards you. But sometimes you are still so mean and disrespectful towards me, it makes it hard.” They held eye contact for a moment, and Chloe broke it, for once dropping the arrogant facade she always has on.

She muttered something but Marinette and Chat Noir didn’t hear anything.

“Come again?” Chat held his hand to his ear so he could listen better.

“I said I’m sorry! For being a jerk to you. It’s hard to admit that I did wrong, but I’ve always been catered to and anyone who refuses is always on my bad side. Slowly I’ve been realizing that being like that hurts others but sometimes it’s hard to not do that, you know?”

“I know it is Chloe,” Marinette placed one hand on Chloe’s shoulder, “You have to understand that change doesn’t happen immediately, and sometimes you will regress. That happens to me too, especially with how I act around–”

“Adrien?” Chloe gave her a sly smirk as Marinette blushed and gave her a glare. Neither of them noticed Chat’s face turn beet red as he stood still, hoping they wouldn't notice.

“Sigh, yes. I’m still a stuttery mess around him and it drives me nuts.– Chloe.”

“What is it?”

“Thank you. I accept your apology.” Marinette gave Chloe a small smile and Chloe reciprocated. Chat watched with a wide grin as two important girls in his life began to make up.

“Well, if you aren’t Ladybug anymore, and there is a gigantic crowd waiting for you at school, what will you do know? It’ll be hard to get to school.”

“I don’t know, everything is hard to process right now.”

“Would you like for me to carry you to school, my lady?” Chat knelt down in front of Marinette so she can climb onto his back. Marinette blushed profusely and waved her arm dismissively. Chat pouted but relented. “Whatever you want, Bugaboo.”

“Ew, you still give her the gross nicknames?” Chloe scrunched up her nose and pouted. Chat rolled his eyes and gave her a smirk.

“Aw don’t be jealous, Queenie. You’ll have someone give you some icky nicknames at some point.” Chloe gave Chat a look, but he just laughed it off. Marinette giggled and sighed.

Suddenly, her parents entered the living room from the stairs leading to the bakery, and they had a look of concern on their faces.

“Marinette, sweetheart,” Sabine said, taking a quick peek outside. “We think it’s best if you don’t go to class today. It’s too crowded outside and Hawkmoth will attack you at any moment. We’d rather keep you here to be safe.” Chloe, Marinette, and Chat exchanged glances and nodded.

“Okay, I feel like it’s best as well,” Marinette took off her backpack and rummaged through it, pulling out the homework due. “Chloe, can you do me a favor and turn these in to Ms. Bustier?” Chloe hesitated at first but then she grabbed the folder Marinette was holding out to her, putting it in her bag. Marinette turned to Chat Noir. “I’ll have to call Alya and tell her about Lila. Hopefully she and Nino will believe me.”

“Wait, what about Lila?” Chloe raised an eyebrow. Marinette and Chat looked at each other and nodded.

“Well to keep it short, Lila threatened me a while ago and she was the one who exposed me, recording me as I transformed from Ladybug.” Chloe’s jaw dropped and immediately went red. Sabine and Tom looked angered, but they decided to let the kids talk, planning on talking to their daughter later.

“Lila did that? Ugh! I knew she was no good. Her stories are way too extravagant! There is no way she would catch a prince’s eye, especially if I’m around.” Again, Marinette and Chat Noir exchanged glances and shrugged. “I swear if I had the Bee miraculous on me, I’ll bee stinging her bony little a–”

“Chloe, that wouldn’t solve anything. That’ll probably akumatize her and we all know how she’s after me. I’d rather avoid that and just let karma take its course,” Marinette stated. Chloe and Chat stared at her incredulously, wondering why would she not want justice. “Trust me, as much as I want justice, right now would not be a good time for it.”

“If you say so, Dupain-Cheng. But I will definitely not treat her nicely. I’m leaving now, I have to get to school. Good luck today.” Chloe walked off and Tom followed so he could walk her out of the bakery.

“Thank you Chloe!” Marinette called out as the door closed.

“Your dad and I decided to close shop for today just in case anyone decides to try to invade our privacy,” Sabine winked at Marinette.

“Thank you, maman, anything helps in this crazy time."Marinette sighed and rubbed her temples. "I’m heading upstairs to clear my head. Chat, you coming?” They both headed up and Sabine watched, proud of her daughter for doing her best in this trying situation. The best she can do now and hope that it’ll get better, and to protect her daughter at all costs.

Marinette stared at her phone nervously, staring at Alya’s name. “Why am I nervous? She’s my best friend! She’ll have to believe me.” Marinette was about to press Alya’s contact when suddenly the phone began to ring, with Alya’s name displayed on screen. With shaky hands, Marinette answered, “Alya!”

“Marinette! Where are you girl? We need to talk about what needs to be done about this whole situation. The school is crazy, and if we don’t work fast, it will only get worse.”

“Alya, I returned my miraculous to the guardian.”

“What?! Why?”

“Because one way or another, I’d still be in danger of Hawkmoth. He wouldn’t believe it if we made a video trying to disprove it. So I feel like it’s better to step down as Ladybug and make him start from the beginning. That’s the more important part. For him to never get the Ladybug miraculous.”

“If you say girl. Since you aren't here, does that mean you’re not coming to school to avoid the crowd?”

“Yeah, my parents think it’s better this way and so they can make sure I stay safe. Chat Noir is also here, so that helps as well.”

“Okay, so you have protection regardless, that’s good. Do you want Nino and I to come over today to figure stuff out?”

“Maybe, let’s see how today turns out.” Marinette stayed silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts before speaking again. “Are you, Nino, and Adrien together right now?”

“Nino’s here, but Adrien hasn’t showed up yet. What’s up?” Chat flinched at the mention of his name, but Marinette didn’t notice.

“Can you two go somewhere more private? I have something to tell you.”

“We’re sitting at a corner alone, is everything okay?”

“Alya, Nino, please believe me when I say I know who revealed me.”

*    *    *

Alya was shaking in anger. The mere fact that her best friend had to beg for her to believe her when she told her who exposed her was very telling at how much of a trustworthy friend Alya was towards Marinette regarding Lila.

_“I know it may sound preposterous to you but it’s Lila Rossi. Remember yesterday when she was in the bathroom with me? She actually wasn’t comforting me, she was admitting to me that she was the one who recorded the video. I’m more than certain she also distributed to it too, sending it to your blog.”_

_“How can you be so sure? I know you don’t like her, but lying like that?” Alya heard Marinette sighing and Chat let out a lout "tsk" sound.  
_

_"Alya please, thinki about it. You know I don't like her, why would I be best friends with her as Ladybug if I don't like her?"_

_"I-I don't know. Perhaps you're just jealous of her and just--"_

_“Wow Alya, do you really think that way about your best friend?” Chat’s tone was terrifying. "Thinking she'd be that petty?"  
_

_“Chat you wouldn’t know eith–” Nino was interrupted._

_“Believing a girl you hardly know over your best friend? How low do you think of her?”_

_“Chat Noir, please–”_

_“No, it’s not fair to you, Marinette. You do so much for everyone and they just toss you aside. And now that everyone knows that you’re Ladybug, and still treat you like this?”_

_“Just because I was Ladybug, that doesn’t mean I have to get special treatment–”_

_“But they are supposed to be your friends.” There was silence on the other side of the line. Alya and Nino exchanged glances but they continued._

_“So you aren’t lying about her?”_

_“No, I’m not. You know I don't lie and you know I don’t like her. Why would she claim we are best friends when I can’t stand her?”_

_“She’s got a point Alya,” Nino stated. Alya still didn’t get it. She didn't want to get it. Lila just seemed like such an extraordinary person. Even the impossible was possible for her, with all of the connections she claims to have...  
_

_“Why don’t you like her?”_

_“She lies, she’s a compulsive liar. She knows what to tell people to get them on her side. She lied to Adrien about being best friends with Ladybug. If you see him, ask him about it. She doesn’t like me either.”_

_“How do you know?”_

_“Because she told me. She doesn’t like me because I am not afraid of exposing her lies. She actually threatened me on the day she turned into Chameleon. She threatened that she’ll turn all my friends against me if I go against her.”_

_“WHAT?!” Their screams were loud and simultaneous that some students glanced at them with concern. “Did she seriously say that?!”_

_“Yes. I was going to be the one akumatized but I had to let go of my anger in order to avoid doing that. She ended up being akumatized.”_

_“Why haven’t you told us sooner??”_

_“Because no one would believe me. People think I dislike Lila because I’m just jealous. Yo admitted that you think I'm jealous. I’m not. She’s a liar who will say anything and do anything to get what she wants.”_

_“But she doesn’t lie though–”_

_“How can you prove that? How can you prove that she doesn’t embellish everything she says? How can you prove she isn’t manipulating everyone? For god’s sake, she claims to be Ladybug’s best friend, but no way in HELL have we ever been best friends. You are a journalist, aren’t you the one who says that we should check facts first?” There was silence on both ends of the line. Alya and Nino were staring at the phone, astounded at how angry and disappointed Marinette sounded. “I have to go, I have to talk to Chat Noir. Bye.”_

_“Marin–” The line suddenly cut off_

“Alya, please calm down, you don’t want to be Akumatized,” Nino reluctantly reached over her shoulders and squeezed her in a side hug. She glanced at him with tears in her eyes, then she buried her face into his neck.

“What kind of friend am I?” Her voice was muffled and she sniffled a few times.

“What kind of friends are we? We both didn’t believe her.” Nino rubbed Alya’s back, leaned his head on her’s and looked around for any akumas.

“How can we make it up to her?” She and Nino made eye contact and thought.

“I guess we can start by believing her and letting others know what happened.”

“Yeah… That’s a good start.”

The school bell rang and everyone headed to their classes, with Nino and Alya planning on telling their classmates what just happened. It was going to tough convincing them, but for Marinette, they were going to, they had no other choice.

Most of their classmates were already seated, talking to each other, the only ones missing were Marinette, Adrien, and Lila. Perfect. Chloe was standing by the desk, placing a folder on top. Marinette’s name was written neatly on top, and immediately, Alya went into defence mode.

“Why do you have Marinette’s homework?” Alya demanded, Nino grabbing her arm in case she was ready to pounce.

“I was just turning in her homework, like she asked me to,” Chloe crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Why did she ask you, of all people, to turn in her homework?”

“Because unlike you two, she finds me trustworthy. Trustworthy enough to tell me everything that has happened between her and Lila,” she flipped her ponytail and turned her head. Nino and Alya gawked at her.

“She told you? When?”

“Earlier, I went to her place to–” Her eyes widened and then she dropped her pose, nervously biting her lip, then muttered, “To apologize to her for being a jerk, and to ask her why she chose me to be Queen Bee…” Their jaws remained on the floor as Chloe tried to recuperate from her embarrassment.

“You, apologize to Marinette? I don’t believe that,” Alya crossed her arms, and glared at Chloe.

“I don’t care if you believe me. But you two wouldn’t believe your supposed best friend either apparently,” Chloe glared back. The class went silent, but the two feuding girls didn’t notice. “She told you, right? About what Lila did?”

“Of course she told us!”

“Did you believe her immediately or did she have to beg for you guys to believe her?”

“We– I–”

“Just as I thought. You two are the same as the rest of the class. Dumb and easily manipulated.”

“Hey!” They finally noticed that the class was listening in and looked at Alix, who was the one who cried out. “What do you mean by that? And what do you mean by ‘what Lila did’?”

“I meant what I meant. Oh, I don’t know if I should tell you what Marinette told me about what Lila did. You wouldn’t believe it.” Chloe started inspecting her perfectly manicured hands as the class protested. Chloe wanted to laugh in their faces, but she held it back.

“If you won’t tell them, we will,” Alya turned to face the class. “Lila was the one who exposed Marinette as Ladybug.” Some classmates gasped but others just scoffed.

“Lila wouldn’t do that! She’s too nice!” Rose replied, with some classmates agreeing. Both Alya and Chloe scoffed at the insinuation.

“She may be nice to you–” Chloe started.

“But she’s not nice to Marinette,” Alya finished, the both of them crossing their arms.

“Marinette isn’t nice to her!” Kim stated. Alya and Chloe glanced at each other, and burst out laughing.

“Do you really think Marinette has zero reason for disliking Lila?” Chloe placed her hand on her head.

“She’s jealous that Lila got to sit next to Adrien for a while,” Max said as a matter of factly. A few people nodded their heads. Alya got furious.

“What– What an absolute petty thing to say! Marinette, the girl who has helped each of us individually, in and out of class, expecting NOTHING in return, and this is what you guys think of her?” The class stayed silent as the weight of what Alya said settled over them. Some looked ashamed and others just looked at each other sadly. Alya was breathing heavily and Nino lay a hand on her shoulder to help her calm down. “She also told me something else. On the day Lila was akumatized into the Chameleon, remember when Marinette was trying to disprove her lies over and over again? Lila trapped her in the bathroom and threatened– yes, threatened– to turn her friends against her. That day, Marinette almost got akumatized. Imagine how disastrous that would have been if Marinette, our Ladybug, was akumatized? Lila did that.” Everyone, some with mouths wide open, exchanged glances, some muttered, and others just held their head between their hands. The door opened and in entered Miss Bustier and Lila, who looked like she was enjoying her day. Everyone glared at her, causing her to stop mid step and look around her.

“Hello everyone, what’s up?” No one responded and it made her uncomfortable. Miss Bustier clapped her hands and ordered everyone to sit down in their seats. They obliged but everyone continued to glare at Lila as she walked up to her seat. Miss Bustier picked up the folder on her desk and asked why it’s there.

“Oh, Marinette can’t come to school today. It’s too chaotic for her to come to school because someone,” Chloe glared back at Lila, “exposed her identity. Her parents believe it’s best is she stayed home, safe and sound.”

“Okay that makes sense, what about Adrien, has anyone heard of him?” Everyone looked around, Alya and Nino gave each other nervous glances.

“Miss Bustier, Adrien’s dad has said that he doesn’t want Adrien to associate with Marinette, so it’s likely that he’s making Adrien stay at home,” Nino answered. Everyone gasped, but a giggle escaped someone and everyone’s heads snapped immediately to Lila, who had her mouth covered, pretending to be shocked.

“What?” She asked as everyone continued to stare. Nathaniel pointed at her.

“You giggled,” he said, glaring at her.

“I gasped, didn’t you hear?”

“I am literally sitting right next to you, Lila. You giggled.” Everyone, including Miss Bustier was staring at her. “Why did you giggle?”

“I swear I didn’t giggle!”

“We all heard you giggle, Lila, don’t lie,” Alya stood up and faced Lila. Lila also stood up and held her hand to her chest, in apparent disbelief.

“Everyone calm down. What’s the matter, Alya?” Miss Bustier asked, slowly making her way up to Alya.

“Miss Bustier, Marinette told me that it was Lila who exposed her identity. She also threatened to turn everyone against Marinette,” Alya pointed at Lila accusingly.

“Why would I do that? I have nothing against Marinette. She’s probably lying to you because she doesn’t like me.” Lila started walking down towards Alya, with the intent to hopefully fix whatever misunderstanding was happeneing.

“You’re right Lila, she doesn’t like you,” Alya stood her ground as Lila stopped right in front of her. She shrugged off Lila’s hand when she placed it on her shoulder. Lila pulled her hand back, looking concerned. Alya noticed how horrible her acting was. “You said that you and Ladybug were practically best friends. But how can that be when she can’t stand you?” Alya took a step forward, causing Lila to step back towards the front of the class. Miss Bustier and the class watched with bated breaths. Lila held her hands together.

“It’s probably because she really wanted to hide her identity. It’s clever of her, isn’t it?” Lila continued to back away.

“Oh really? Okay then,” Alya took a moment to think wondering how she can disprove her lies. She suddenly got an epiphany. “How did you get your tinnitus cured?” Alya grabbed her tablet and started to quickly type in something. Lila stuttered.

“L-like I said, when miraculous Ladybug, it was when it was cured.” Lila glanced around nervously, hoping for someone to come to her rescue.

“Actually, Lila,” Alya turned over her tablet to reveal a medical journal talking about tinnitus, “There is no cure for it. You can only have some relief for it, but it can’t be completely cured. Also, Miraculous Ladybug only restores things that were destroyed during an akuma attack, verified to me by Ladybug herself.” Lila’s face went pale, Alya smirked as she continued to look through her tablet. “Hey Max, are you able to lookup an IP address from an email?”

“I wouldn’t be able to exactly pinpoint the location, but it does give me the name of the computer, let me just–” Max took Alya’s tablet from her and began to quickly go through a process. Alya turned back to Lila.

"That's excellent Max. Rose, are you sill in contact with Prince Ali?" Alya faced Rose, who took out her phone.

"I actually still am! Let me contact him, hopefully he'll answer. I feel bad for doing this, but if it's for the truth, then I will."

"Thank you Rose, that's very thoughtful of you." Alya turned to face Lila again. Lila was progressively looking more and more nervous.

"According to this IP locator, the computer from which this email was sent from is called 'Rossi's-Computer'." Max went to hand Alya her tablet as smirked at Lila.

"Interesting, isn't that your last name, Lila?"

"That's my f-family computer, it could have been any of us really--"

"Prince Ali just told me that he's never met a Lila, at least one from Italy," Rose piped up, looking up from her phone.

"I-It's because I d-didn't tell him where I'm from," Lila laughed nervously as she began to look uncomfortable, with a small bead of sweat rolling down her face. Alya didn't by it and she approached Lila, who then hid behind Miss Bustier.

“Alya, please stop,” Miss Bustier plead, “Nothing good will come out of this. Please calm down.”

“Miss Bustier, she was the one who threatened and exposed Marinette,” Alya gestured towards Lila, who then gave her a glare in which everyone noticed.

“Yes I know, but nothing good will happen by ganging up on her like this, let us adults handle this,” Miss Bustier said, trying to protect Lila.

"Adults? Even Mr. Damocles eats up every single one of her lies! Tell him to contact her mother and ask her about her absence, may be then you'll--"

"Alya, that is enou--"

“No, Miss Bustier, let Alya say what’s on her mind,” Lila did a complete 180 and her face looked ominous. Everyone got shivers down their spines at the malice emanating from her. The classroom phone began to ring. Miss Bustier looked from the girls to the phone and back before deciding to not answer the phone, she didn't want thing to escalate. “Yeah, you are right, I did threaten Marinette. She was getting in the way, I had to do something to get her to stop. And when I had the chance to expose her as Ladybug, of course I took it. Getting back at her is all I want in life. Getting back for ruining my chances with Adrien by exposing my lie in front of him.” Lila began to laugh ominously. The phone rang again, and it was ignored again. “And I did get back to her! Adrien’s dad doesn’t want him to see her again? Oh that’s perfect! I can get close to him.”

“There is no way that Adrien would want to get close to you,” Nino exclaimed, standing up and banging his fists on the desk. “When we tell him what happened, he wouldn’t want to get within ten feet of you.”

“Oh, Nino, Nino, Nino… He’ll have no choice,” Lila smirked as everyone got quiet, confused what she meant by that. The phone rang a third time and Miss Bustier just decided to put it on speaker so that she can remain between the girls. Mr. Damocles' voice came through, but his announcement meant for the teacher shook all of the students to the core.

"Miss Bustier, I'm afraid that I have just received a call from Gabriel Agreste's assistant stating that Adrien has gone missing since last night. They have tried contacting everyone he may have known, including Alya, and Nino's parents, but unfortunately, they don't know of his whereabouts. Please speak to your students and ask if they know anything. I'll leave you to your students," the phone hung up before Miss Bustier was able to utter a response and the class remained silent. Alya covered her mouth and Nino pulled off his hat and ran his hand through his hair, sweat suddenly running down his face. Lila, looked around to her classmates and saw their stunned faces. Their stupid faces, it angered her to no end. How dare they question her? She had them wrapped around her finger, but that was undoing all because of Marinette. 

Marinette. That name left a rotten taste in her mouth. Oh how she hated that little bitch passionately. If she could, she'd throw her off the Eiffel tower. At that moment, Lila noticed something hitting the window panes by the door, and she knew exactly what she should do.

“What?” Lila exclaimed. Everyone looked at her. “How much you want to bet it was Marinette. She has him hidden in her place because she can’t stand the thought of him not seeing her!”

“Lila, shut up! She would never do that and it is in horrible taste for you to say something like that,” Alya yelled. Lila stepped closer to the door and smirked.

There was a gentle tap on the window near the door that caught everyone’s attention, and an akuma was fluttering against a window pane, attempting to get in. There was a collective gasp, and some students even shrieked. Lila placed her hand on the door handle, and opened the door as Alya, Nino, and Chloe cried out a loud “no” but it was too late. The akuma touched the pencil Lila was holding, the mask of her face went red and the outline of a butterfly surrounded her eyes. They couldn’t hear what Hawkmoth was telling her, but black clouds consumed her entity, and then finished her transformation into her villainous form. Her skin was tainted red, and her hair was a deeper red, fading to black at the tips of her hair. The two shorter strands by her face also faded to a different color, but one was black and the other was white. A mask covered her face with a jagged design splitting it in to colors, black and white. The white of her right eye was completely red while the iris what white. Her left eye was normal except her iris was red. She wore what looked like a grey pant suit, but the pants were actually high-waisted shorts with a lighter grey cuff. The lapel on the jacket were exaggerated and sharp looking, colored black while the rest of the jacket was two varying shades of grey. The shoulders were also sharp and the tie she wore was black fading to white. A jagged design similar to the mask were on her knees and ankles and they alternated black and white. She wore a black glove on her right hand, and a white glove on her left, and the shoes she wore were platformed with a jagged wing design at the heel and they each had alternating grey, white, and black colors. Her pencil turned into a completely black dagger.

“I am the [Backstabber](https://starxid-creates.tumblr.com/post/184406470250/the-rest-of-the-designs-what-do-you-guys-think)! Everything I say, you all will believe,” she exclaimed as she stabbed Miss Bustier in the back, causing her to cry out but suddenly stand up straight with a blank expression on her face. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug and she is the most villainous person ever, she kidnapped Adrien Agreste! She and anyone on her side needs to be taken care of.”

“Marinette must be destroyed.”

“Anyone you guys touch will believe me as well!” Miss Bustier turned to look at Alya and began to approach her rapidly, with the same blank expression on her face. Alya quickly dodged her teacher and stood by the door. There were a few screams as the Backstabber stabbed a few more classmates in the back and they went blank. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug. She works with Hawkmoth to akumatize people so she can get glory and fame. She has kidnapped Adrien Agreste! She needs to be stopped before he gets seriously hurt.”

“Marinette must be stopped.” All of those stabbed began to walk towards the door. Nino and Chloe ran to Alya at the door and they all ran out, closing the door just in time before the students caught them.

*    *    *

Marinette shivered as she stared out at the school, the crowd was still blocking the school entrance. She could faintly hear the bell ring and she could only hope everyone got in safely and on time.

“This is my fault,” she gazed out at the skyline of Paris, her eyes settling on the Eiffel Tower.

“Marinette, stop blaming yourself. No one blames you. At all. What good come from you blaming yourself?” Chat stared at Marinette’s stoic face.

“Look at how much it has blown up. How can I fix this?” Chat Noir pulled her into his arms and held her tightly, not wanting to let go. Marinette hesitated but then held him back, letting herself relax in his embrace.

“Marinette, you don’t have to do this alone. Now that your friends know what happened, I’m sure they’ll do anything to help,” Chat pulled away and cupped her now crying face, “I’ll do anything to help you, Bugaboo.” He reached for her hand and held her pinky with his pinky. “I promise.” _I have promised you before, and I’ll do it over and over, and I’ll keep it until the day I die._ The gesture caught Marinette by surprise but she still didn’t connect the dots. Chat was counting on that. Marinette’s eyes lit up when she had an epiphany.

“That’s it! Kitty, you are a genius!” She stepped away and reached for her phone.

“Why thank you my lady, I know I am a genius, but uh, what did I do?”

“Master Fu, it’s me, Marinette. I have a favor to ask you–” She spoke on her phone for a few minutes, her back towards a very confused Chat Noir. When she finished her call, she faced Chat and got very close to his face, causing him to blush. “Chat, it’s time for you to meet the rest of the team! Go to Master Fu and take the fox, turtle, and bee miraculouses to their holders. He’ll tell you who they are!” It took a moment for Chat to process what she just told him and he went from confused, to excited, then to concerned.

“But my lady, who’ll guard you? What if Hawkmoth attacks when I’m gone?” Marinette placed a finger on his lips and quietly shushed him, causing his face to redden again.

“The sooner and faster you go, the sooner you can come back. Bring the team here. If anything, I’ll fight if I have to. But go, hurry Chat!” Chat nodded and leapt off her roof onto the next one, rushing to Master Fu’s. Marinette watched for a second or two before she went back inside her hatch and grabbed the rope from her backpack, tied one end to the hatch and looped it once around the railing and tied it to the last post of her stairs. She then headed downstairs to be with her parents to keep an eye on the news for akumas. Tom and Sabine were waiting patiently for her.

“Marinette, we wanted to talk about what you told Chloe about Lila threatening you,” Sabine patted the cushion next to her so that Marinette could sit beside her. Marinette sat down and faced her parents, who both watched with concerned looks on their faces. “Why didn’t you tell us that there was a girl causing you trouble?” Marinette stared at her hands and played with the hem of her skirt.

“I was hoping I would be able to resolve everything if I exposed her in due time,” Marinette finally answered, glancing up at her parents.

“But she threatened you with the loss of your friends, that’s technically bullying, why didn’t you come to us?” Tom asked again, reaching to hold his daughter’s hand and gently squeezed it. Marinette stared at her father’s hand and sniffled a bit.

“Because-- Because I also thought that you wouldn’t believe either. Everyone seemed to not believe me when I tried to expose her lies,” she looked away from her parents wiping at her watery eyes.

“Honey, you’re our daughter. Of course we’re going to believe you over a classmate who we have never met in our life!” Sabine confirmed, placing her hand on her husband’s hand holding Marinette’s. Marinette gave her parents a wide grin and she hugged them tightly.

“I love you, maman, I love you papa.” They held their embrace for a few moments when the phone rung them out of their happiness. Tom reached over to the side table and answered the phone.

“Hello?” There was pause. “No we have not seen him since he left. We have been dealing with certain circumstances. We don’t know where he could be staying. Have you tried contacting his friend Nino or Alya? Their parents said they haven't seen or heard anything?” Marinette jumped upon hearing her friends’ names. Tom looked at Marinette wide eyed as he bid the caller good bye and hung up. “Honey, I have some… unfortunate news. That was Nathalie, Gabriel Agreste’s assistant. She called to see if we knew of Adrien’s whereabouts.” The blood drained quickly from Marinette’s face as the implication of what he said settled.

“H-he’s missing?” Marinette clutched her chest as her father nodded and she began to cry. “No… That can’t be… This must have been Hawkmoth’s doing!”

“She did say he and his father did have an argument when they got home after being here, maybe he ran away?”

“Nino didn’t mention Adrien at all when I spoke to them, so I don’t think he went to him—,” Marinette started to pace and attempted to think, but the thought of Adrien missing ate up at her and she only thought of blaming herself. “This is all my fault! If I was careful about transforming, this wouldn’t have happened! Ugh, why did I have to give back the miraculous? I could have gone looking for him as Ladybug and and–”

“Marinette, breathe,” Sabine stabilized her now shaking daughter, and did a slow breathing exercise with her to calm down. The shaking was less violent, but the tears still threatened to spill.

“Maman, I have to find him, what if he’s in trouble?”

“Then we can go looking for him. Together.” Marinette shook her head.

“I can’t have you do that. You’ll be in danger. I’ll– I’ll just have to get the miraculous back and look for him myself.” Marinette turned on her heel and headed up to her bedroom so she can make a call to Master Fu. As soon as she closed the hatch to her bedroom, a malicious, feminine voice voice came from a corner of her room.

“Hello Marinette.” Marinette quickly recognized the voice and spun around to face the akumatized version of who she recognized as Lila. Marinette prepared herself to fight, regardless of being out of uniform. “Cute outfit! Who put it together, a child?”

“Lila! How did you get in here?” Marinette looked around to look for a possible weapon, but Lila cackled and began to walk towards Marinette, holding up a fully black dagger.

“Call me Backstabber. I noticed that your hatch was tied up, but I managed to cut the rope enough for it to break and let me in. Pretty smart of you to tie it up. But not smart enough. ” A butterfly outline appeared around her eyes and Hawkmoth voice instructed her to bring Marinette to him at the Eiffel Tower. “Got it boss.” Backstabber gave Marinette a malicious smirk and lunged at Marinette with the dagger, but Marinette quickly dodged, grabbing the parasol from her lounge chair and held it out like a sword. Backstabber just laughed. “Please, you only know how to use a yoyo. What use is it to wave a parasol around like you know how to sword fight?”

“I’ve dabbled in fencing,” Marinette assumed the guard position and they both just circled each other, waiting for the other to attack. Backstabber lunged first, aiming for Marinette’s chest but she blocked with the parasol and whacked her arm. They exchanged blows for a few minutes before Backstabber just decided to grab the parasol and yank it out of her hands, she then proceeded to use it to knock Marinette out, and she fell with a loud thud. The door to Marinette’s bedroom slammed open and in came Tom, with a bread peel in his hands, ready to defend. When he saw that his daughter was knocked out on the floor, he began to raise his weapon to attack Backstabber, but she was too agile and instead she went behind him and stabbed him with her dagger.

“Marinette needs to go see Hawkmoth now. Carry her over to the Eiffel Tower.” Tom’s expression went blank and he gently picked up his daughter, and began to head downstairs. Sabine saw her husband coming down the stairs with their unconscious daughter in his arms and an akumatized girl behind him. Sabine grabbed the spare peel and she held it like a staff and was ready to fight.

“What did you do to my daughter and husband?” Sabine demanded, swinging the peel at Backstabber. Backstabber just blocked the attack with her arm, and swung her dagger at Sabine who dodged it swiftly. Backstabber grumbled and continued to swing at Sabine, but Sabine just dodged and blocked every attack, once in a while landing hits on the villain.

“Take her now!” Backstabber yelled, and Tom just continued heading towards the door leading downstairs.

“Tom, stop!” Sabine begged, but Backstabber landed a kick to her chest that sent her stumbling backwards into the kitchen, landing hard on her back.

“You are an excellent fighter, it would be great to have you in my army,” Backstabber lifted her dagger, but the butterfly outline appeared on her face.

“Forget the mother, get Marinette here fast before Chat Noir arrives!” Backstabber scoffed, and walked away from Sabine, leaving her on the floor. As soon as the door slammed shut, Sabine began to sob on the floor, feeling helpless.

*    *    *

Chat Noir arrived on the roof of Master Fu’s apartment and transformed into Adrien, rushing inside and running to his apartment, knocking desperately on the door. Wang opened the door and quickly let Adrien in.

“I was wondering when you were going to arrive. Here,” Wang walked away from a deeply panting Adrien and began to open the Miracle box to retrieve the miraculouses. He handed three boxes to Adrien. “It’s time you know who your team members are.” Adrien and Wang held eye contact for a moment. “Nino and Alya are the other miraculous holders, both chosen by Marinette. Take these to them and Chloe, and with the new Ladybug, go protect Paris.” Adrien, gasped at the mention of his friends names. Marinette chose them to be Rena Rouge and Carapace. She continues to choose them despite what happened earlier, because she trusts them completely. Adrien nodded and began to head outside. Wang stopped him. “I’m sure you felt that chill outside, right?” Adrien nodded and Wangs face looked grim. “Something big is coming, please be safe Adrien. Keep Marinette and Paris safe.”

“Always,” Adrien said, and left without saying another word. Master Fu locked up tightly, and proceeded to move the Miracle box to a very well hidden spot.

Back as Chat Noir, Adrien rushed to the school to give his friends their Miraculouses, only to arrive at complete chaos happening. There were students running away from other students, who looked like they were being mind controlled, others went into hiding in classrooms. Chat began crawling slowly on the rooftop, trying to avoid being seen. He then saw Alya peeking out of a door, but upon spotting a mind controlled student, she hid back inside. He knew exactly which room she was hiding in, and crawled to it through the outside, not wanting to deal with the others. He peeked through the window and saw Alya, Nino, Chloe, and surprisingly Kagami hiding in the locker room. He gently tapped the glass, startling some them, but everyone looked relieved once they found out Char Noir was looking back at them. Nino quickly scrambled to open the window for him to enter.

“Quite a welcoming party we have here, huh?” Chat said, looking around at everyone’s faces.

“Chat Noir, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Nino said, high fiving Chat.

“What happened?”

“Nino, Chloe, and I revealed to everyone that Lila is a liar and, well…” Alya nervously laughed, “she was akumatized into the Backstabber who stabs people in the back and everything she tells them, they believe.”

“We’ve been playing a game of cat and mouse to keep Backstabber from leaving, but she suddenly left,” Nino said, “We’re worried that she may have gone to Marinette’s house and there’s nothing we can do.”

“Kagami, can you please keep an eye on the door to make sure no one comes in?” Chat asked, Kagami hesitantly agreeing and turned her back to them.

Alya wanted to say that there was no way that they can transform into their superhero identities, when suddenly Chat Noir pulled out the boxes with their miraculouses inside. Chat gave them a very serious look.

“Despite what happened between you and Marinette, she still trusts you guys. Personally, I wouldn't give you these, but to me, what she says goes. You should find it a privilege that she still chooses you two. Go out the window and meet Marinette at her place, hopefully she’ll be waiting,” Chat whispered, quietly handing each and every one of them their box. Chloe stared at Nino and Alya with her mouth gaping open, surprised at the fact that they are the other two members. “Please go quickly.” The trio nodded and headed out the window, making sure that the coast was clear and ran quickly across the street to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, hiding between buildings to transform. Chat Noir turned to face Kagami, who was still facing the door. he took a moment to think about his pondering last night. Fully capable, and very sharp. He hopes that he's making the right choice. He pulled out the box holding the Ladybug miraculous and was about to speak up when Kagami spoke.

“Alya told me that Marinette stepped down as Ladybug. Is that true?” Kagami turned and face Chat wearing an expressionless face. Chat met her stare with his and didn’t like the feeling he was getting.

“She did step down,” He confirmed. Kagami scoffed and shook her head.

“Figures she’d run away from responsibility. Marinette was never worthy of holding the title of Ladybug.” Chat’s skin prickled and he gave Kagami a glare that she either didn’t notice or just ignored. She looked at the box Chat was holding in his hand. “Were you tasked in finding a new one?”

“Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t.”

“Might as well choose me. I am not clumsy and I am more capable than Marinette will ever be. I wouldn’t run away from my duties.” Kagami began to reach for the box, but Chat suddenly placed it back into his hoodie pocket shaking his head.

“I was considering you, but now I’m sure that you aren’t right for the job.” Kagami stared at Chat as he glared back. “First of all, no, Marinette is not running from responsibility. She thought it was best to step down so that Hawkmoth would start from square one again. She also deemed herself unworthy, just like you did, but I beg to differ. She is more than worthy, and she humble, unlike someone here. She would never run away, ever. She blames herself for all of this, and was working hard to figure out how to fix things. It was my duty to pick who the next Ladybug is, and thanks to you, I know now who I’m going to pick.” Chat abruptly turned around and walked to the window, leaving Kagami perplexed. “Stay put, and stay safe.” He leapt out of the window and using his pole, he launched himself towards Marinette’s balcony.

He landed delicately on the balcony and noticed that the hatch was wide open, but no Marinette in sight. He quietly went through the hatch, landing on her bed quietly and looked around, but there was no one present. He noticed her bedroom hatch was also wide open and dread began to slowly creep up to his chest as he noticed her parasol on the floor, the peel her father uses to bake, and cut rope dangling from the stair railing. He climbed down the stairs from Marinette’s bedroom and almost met a yellow spinning top to the head, but he just dodged before it can make contact. Queen Bee gasped and pulled back her top. Chat looked around and saw Carapace and Rena Rouge kneeling by the couch where he can see Sabine lying down, looking forlorn.

“Chat!” Queen Bee called. “Get down here now! You need to know what happened!” Chat hurried down the rest of the stairs and knelt beside Sabine.

“Mrs. Cheng, what happened?” Chat inspected Sabine.

“An akumatized Lila knocked out Marinette and stabbed Tom. They’re taking her to to Eiffel Tower, probably to Hawkmoth. I tried to stop her, but she knocked me down, injuring my back,” Sabine’s eyes started to water, and she grabbed Chat’s hand. “Chat Noir, please save my daughter.” Chat squeezed her hand and promised her that he’ll get her back safely no matter what. Chat stood up and faced the team.

“It’s time guys. This will probably our toughest battle yet. Tougher than Heroes’ Day. We don’t have Ladybug with us, so we have to figure out how to do this without one.” The team nodded in unison and gathered around to come up with a plan to save Marinette. “So what I have seen and what Carapace and Rena have told me, Backstabber has accumulated quite an army by stabbing them. She has taken Marinette to the Eiffel Tower to Hawkmoth, I presume. For what, I don’t know, possibly to lure the Guardian of the Miraculous so that he can give Hawkmoth the Ladybug miraculous and save Marinette. We have to get to them before that happens so that the Ladybug miraculous doesn’t end up in his hands.”

“What do you suppose we should do?” Queen Bee asked. Chat Noir thought for a moment before speaking up.

“We should head over there and asses the scene before we do anything.” Agreeing to that, everyone stood up and were about to leave, but Chat stayed behind to bid Sabine a farewell. “Don’t you get up until we can get your husband back–”

“Oh, Chat Noir, don’t worry about me, I’ve dealt with back injuries before. Just make sure to get my husband and daughter back safely.” Chat nodded and bid her goodbye, leaving with the rest of the team.

They ran along the Parisian rooftops and stopped short of the Eiffel tower, surveying the area. To their surprise, they expected a large crowd of brainwashed people to surround the tower, but the plaza was empty. Not a single soul in sight. It gave Chat a bad feeling.

“That’s not a good thing,” Chat stated, perched up on a chimney. “It’s so quiet.”

“Isn’t that the ideal situation? No one to get in the way,” Queen Bee joined Chat on the chimney and looked out. “We should go now and get rid of them for good.” Chat Noir shook his head. “Huh?”

“It’s easy, way too easy. It’s a trap.” As soon as he said that, a hulking figure began to walk form the Eiffel Tower to the center of the plaza and collapsed in the center. Chat immediately got up, gasping. “That’s Mr. Dupain!”

“We have to go help him!” Rena was about to go down to him, but Carapace had to stop her.

“You have to remember that he was stabbed by Backstabber. Who knows what she told him to do,” said Carapace, also looking concerned.

“I know, but what if he’s hurt? We can’t just leave him on the floor like that!”

“You both are right. Crap,” Chat got down from the chimney and began to pace, wondering what their next step should be. A light flicked on in his mind. “Rena, can you cast an illusion of me to check up on Mr. Dupain. If he doesn’t do anything, you can drop the illusion and take him to safety. Carapace, you go along to give her back up.”

“You got it boss,” Carapace and Rena leapt off the roof towards a building nearby Tom.

“Queen, you and I are going to try to sneak our way to the top. So we can’t come in swinging. We have to make sure they don’t hurt Marinette.” Queen Bee nodded, and they both looked around for a good chance to sneak up to the Eiffel Tower. There really wasn’t an easy way to sneak in without there being a crowd or it being dark. Darkness… Chat pulled up the phone on his baton and called Rena. “Rena, do you think instead of casting an illusion of me, can you cast an illusion of darkness over the plaza?”

“I can certainly try, but it will take a huge toll on me.”

“Please try it. You two check up on Mr. Dupain after the illusion is cast.” Chat then turned to Queen Bee. “Okay, if Rena is able to make an illusion of darkness, we can run to the tower and make our way up.”

“Wow, look at you, making plans on the fly. Looks like Ladybug has rubbed off on you,” Queen Bee flipped her ponytail behind her. Chat smirked and shook his head.

“Those are very big shoes to fill. I don’t think anyone can ever fill them. Especially when they’re Marinette’s.” Suddenly, everything went dark around them as if night time fell in a matter of seconds, and that gave the both of them the cue to head to the tower. They had five minutes tops, maybe less since the sudden darkness most likely alerted the enemy of their presence. As they approached one of the legs of the tower, they heard a scream coming from where Tom was, and then heard Carapace cry out “Shell-ter!” The sudden darkness was lifted as they saw Rena lying on the floor and Carapace lifting her as a green force field protected the both of them from the surprise attack. “Queen! Go help them! Stop Mr. Dupain!”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine, I can defend myself. Go help them!” Queen Bee began to run off to their direction, preparing her Venom to sting Tom paralyzed. Chat used his baton to reach the next level of the Eiffel tower. As soon as he landed on the platform, a group of expressionless people began to corner him against the leg. He readied his baton to launch himself to the next level, but someone shot it out of his hand, possibly a brainwashed police officer. He had to resort to climbing up on the leg until he reached the next level. There was more shooting from other police officers. Chat ascended swiftly so that he could avoid the bullets, however he noticed officers coming up on the lift. He didn’t want to keep dealing with them and waste more time, so he did what he thought was necessary. “CATACLYSM!” He placed his hand on one of the tracks guiding the lift, causing it to stall. Now only had five minutes to make it to the top, but then realized it wasn’t ideal to have transformed back as Adrien when he needed to be Chat more than ever in this fight. So Chat ran to the next lift and ascended, transforming back to Adrien.

“Adrien what are yo–” Adrien shoved a slice of Camembert to Plagg to shut him up and steadily rose up.

“I have to take the stairs the rest of the way, or else they’ll hear me come up on the elevator. It would be inconvenient if I suddenly transformed back to myself. So I’d rather run the rest of the way and for you to regain your energy.” Adrien’s face was serious and Plagg realized he dare not to speak against him, Instead he opted for filling his gob with delicious, smelly cheese. They reached the next level, and it was empty. Adrien rushed to the stairs and quickly went up, making sure he was silent. He was panting quietly as the never ending staircase led him upwards to where he hoped Hawkmoth had Marinette. He heard voices as he approached the top, and slowed down his pace. He recognized Lila’s and Hawkmoth’s voices. Suddenly he heard a scuffle and it caused the fire within him to rise dangerously high. Then he heard Marinette’s voice whimpering, and it about boiled over and he rose the rest of the stairs when what he saw next made his stomach drop severely and the blood drained from his face.

*    *    *

Marinette awoke to the sight of Hawkmoth standing over her, holding something in his hand and shaking in rage. The bright blue sky was a stark contrast to his dark getup. Marinette realized that the ground felt very hard, very metallic, and was very warm from the sun. It took Marinette a moment to realize she was at the very top of the Eiffel Tower. Hawkmoth threw what he had in his hands to the ground and made a small tinkling sound. They were the black earrings Marinette put on earlier.

“These are not the Ladybug miraculous!” Hawkmoth bellowed. Backstabber approached the little earrings and lifted one up.

“Clever girl,” She muttered, glaring at Marinette, who was now sitting up holding her head. Hawkmoth grabbed Marinette by the collar of her jacket and lifted her up from the ground.

“Where is the damn Ladybug miraculous you little brat!” Spittle dribbled out from his mouth as his rage was going beyond its limit. Marinette, albeit a bit dizzy, smirked.

“I threw them in the river.”

“You WHAT?!”

“I threw them in the river. So that you can never find them. So that they can’t be found by anyone EVER!” Hawkmoth dropped Marinette hard to the ground, causing her to whimper. Little did he know that Marinette was actually not telling the truth. As long as Hawkmoth was around, Ladybug needed to be around to stop him. She just needed to get him off the Ladybug Miraculous’ trail for a little bit in order for a new one to arise.

“I’ll have my army look for them. I have hundreds if not thousands of citizens doing my bidding. I’ll make them look for the earrings even if it kills them.” Backstabber walked up to Marinette, grabbed her by the neck, causing her to whimper even more, and lifted her off the ground with terrifying strength. Marinette tried to fight back, but all she did was flail her legs that hit Backstabber a few times. Backstabber then approached the railing and dangled Marinette over it, threatening to drop her.

“I hate you with every fiber of my being, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Backstabber’s voice dripped with icy contempt and her eyes smouldered with passionate hate. Hawkmoth, albeit angered at Marinette, slowly approached Backstabber.

“Backstabber! Stop!” Hawkmoth demanded. “You don’t need to do this–” It was too late.

Backstabber released her grip from Marinette's neck, and watched her fall with a cold smirk plastered across her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, a cliffhanger.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, it took way too long to write.  
> A few things were also changed from the original posted to tumblr. I'll be making the changes on those posts soon.  
> Thank you for reading!!


	5. Your Guardian Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette falls and someone unexpected jumps after her.

Hawkmoth stared in abject terror as his akuma dropped the girl from the very top. He told her to stop, but he knew the akuma had a grudge against Marinette, but he didn’t know it was to the point it was fatal. He could demand the akuma to save her, but he felt her hate was stronger than his influence. All he could do is watch. He didn’t notice someone running up behind him until the person climbed onto the railing and launched themselves off of it after the girl. It took Hawkmoth a moment to realize who it was and he reached his arm out to catch him, but he was out of his reach. He and Backstabber cried out, but it was too late. He watched in horror as his son fell after Marinette. “Why?” He asked, not facing his akuma, gripping his cane until his hand went numb. “Why did you throw her over the edge?!” Backstabber turned her head to face Hawkmoth, her face a shade paler than the red she was, her eye widened and tears falling with the weight of regret. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! THAT’S MY SON JUMPING AFTER HER!”

“I-I thought if I got rid of her for good, that she’ll stop being a problem in my life. That all of my problems would be solved. I didn’t expect Adrien to go jumping after her. Wait--your son?” Backstabber stared at Hawkmoth wide eyed as the realization washed over her. “You’re Gabriel Agreste.” Hawkmoth immediately de-akumatized Lila, and just watched over the edge, hoping and praying that something, someone will save both his son and his son’s friend.

*    *    *

Alya, Nino,and Chloe, now back as their civilian selves, were standing on top of a building and watched in horror as Backstabber let go of Marinette. There was nothing either of them could do to go catch and save her. They all have used up all of their energy fighting a brainwashed Tom Dupain and subsequently other brainwashed zombies. When they transformed back, they had to run into the nearest building to avoid being touched and thus be brainwashed to believe every lie Backstabber has told them. Never again did they want to fall into her influence. Shortly after Marinette was let go, they saw someone jumping after her, they noticed blonde hair and a black hoodie.

“Is- is that Chat Noir?” Nino asked, squinting his eyes to see clearly.

“I’m pretty sure that is him, he went ahead of me,” Chloe replied, trying to perch higher on the roof, but almost lost her balance.

“I don’t think so, he’s not wearing all black, He’s actually wearing jeans,” Alya pointed out. It took them a second to realize, as they see him get closer to Marinette who it really was.

“ADRIEN!” Nino covered his eyes and turned towards Alya who held him tightly and buried her face into his chest, both beginning to sob. Chloe wanted to avert her eyes from what was happening but couldn’t, as she was hoping, begging, pleading for Chat Noir to catch them.

*    *    *

Marinette couldn’t breathe as Backstabber gripped her neck tightly and lifted her from the floor. She was impossibly strong for a girl of her stature, but Marinette figured it was because of the akuma. Thoughts suddenly flooded her mind as she was carried to the edge of the top, dangled over the protective rail. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Backstabber pulled her close to her face and whispered “I hate you with every fiber of my being, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette could hear Hawkmoth telling her to stop, but it was too late. Backstabber released her grip from Marinette’s neck and watched her fall with a grin on her face.

The wind furiously rushed around her as she fell from the highest point of the Eiffel tower. The look of malice on Backstabber’s face terrified her to no end. No, it wasn’t Backstabber-- it was Lila’s intention to drop her. Hawkmoth told her to not do it, but she did it. The last thing she remembers was the look on Hawkmoth’s face before Backstabber let go of her- the look of pure regret. It would have puzzled Marinette if she wasn’t terrified out of her mind because she was falling to her death. She extended her limbs to catch more air resistance, her skirt helping a little, acting as a very small parachute, but she was falling hard and fast, facing the sky. She was falling fast, but everything felt so slow. Thoughts rushed through her head, her parents, her friends, Chat Noir, Adrien... Oh how she wished she could have seen Adrien one last time. To see him smile and laugh. He would never see her again, and it crushed her heart, he was adamant on helping her, but that was taken from him, and now she’s falling to her death. He wouldn’t know until one of her friends, hell maybe not until the news reported it. As a matter of fact they were probably filming at this moment, broadcasting her final moments to the entirety of Paris.

Marinette clamped her eyes shut at the thought of that. At the thought of her father who was probably watching as his little girl fell. She knew he carried her here. She slipped in and out of consciousness as the was carried to the top, but she remembers being cradled delicately in his large arms. Tears began to emerge through her shut eyes. Her maman was probably watching through the television if she wasn’t brainwashed, alone and unable to do anything, probably desperately crying. Her friends, maybe they can save her, they are her chosen to be holders of the miraculous. But no one was coming, so perhaps they were brainwashed, or transformed back, or are running late. Too late. Her last hope was Chat Noir, but even he was running behind. Marinette felt like she had no choice but to accept the fact that today was her last day alive.

She didn’t want to accept that. She had high hopes for her future. She wanted to graduate from school and become a fashion designer. She wanted to save Paris as Ladybug at any given moment. She wanted to fall in love with Adrien and have three children and a pet hamster named--

“[MARINETTE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRehmX3zlwE)!” Her eyes flew open when she heard her name. The tears that she tried to hold back escaped as her eyes focused more on the shape above her in a nose dive, approaching fast. His blond hair was whipping furiously around his face as he willed himself to go faster. The hood of his hoodie was also whipping furiously as one of his arms lay flat on his side and the other was placed inside the pocket. He was squinting to protect his vivid green eyes.

“ADRIEN, NO!” More tears escaped as she was trying to convince herself that this wasn’t happening. _“No, that isn’t Adrien, that’s just my wishful imagination hoping to see him. I did not drag him into this, he’s safe and sound wherever her is and is unaware of me falling--”_ He got closer and his face was more clear. _“It is him! Why, oh why did I return the Ladybug miraculous, I could have avoided all of this, I could have saved him--”_

“PLAGG, CLAWS OUT!” The green flash almost blinded her, but the gasp escaped her lips as she watched the boy she loved with the entirety of her being transform into who she hoped would be her longtime crime fighting partner. His arms wrapped around her waist as he finally reached her. Chat reached towards the back of his belt and pulled out his baton. “Yes! I was wondering if it’ll come back if I retransformed.” Chat gave Marinette a toothy smile as she stared at him with wide eyes and mouth slightly agape. He pulled himself closer to Marinette. “Lean your head into my neck. I don’t want you to break your neck as I try to save us.” She did as he told and Chat extended his baton to hit the side of the tower to change the trajectory of their fall from straight down and almost hitting the wider part of the tower, to a sideways arch where Chat can guide the fall to a safer place. He then extended the baton to the floor and continued to fall in increasingly smaller arches until they landed in the street nearby the formerly brainwashed crowd. They landed roughly and had to roll with the landing, but both came out with some scratches and scrapes. Some people from the crowd rushed to their aid, making sure they were fine. Marinette’s knees were scraped badly, and Chat started to develop bruised in some locations. Other than that, they didn’t have anything serious.

Everyone stepped back from the duo and just stared in astonishment at the both of them. They watched Adrien Agreste turn into Chat Noir and save the girl, Marinette was her name, who happened to be Ladybug. Chat decided to transform back into Adrien, causing those nearby to gasp, as if to confirm what they saw was true. Adrien turned to Marinette, who was looking at him with disbelief. He couldn’t help but give her a sheepish smile. “Surprise.” Marinette then proceeded to then gently tackle him and began to desperately sob into his chest.

“Adrien, oh Adrien, I thought you were in danger! It came out that you were missing and I thought it was because of me, and and I was falling and I thought I was never going to see you again, but then you were falling after me and I was regretting stepping down as Ladybug, because if I was still Ladybug I could- I could have--” She felt his arms wrap around her and he held her tightly, with no intention to let go of her anytime soon. As soon as she understood this, she wrapped her arms around him, and they stayed in this embrace for a few minutes, basking in each other’s presence. If it was at any other situation, Marinette would have melted at the spot, but the both of them almost died, and Marinette was just grateful that he was there to save the both of them. Grateful that she had a partner as wonderful as Chat Noir, who was also Adrien Agreste! Marinette pulled away as soon as she heard him sniffle and looked at him in the eyes. He began to cry as their eyes met, gently cradling her face with his hands. He leaned his forehead on her and began to quietly sob. Plagg wanted to come out of his hiding spot to comfort Adrien, but upon seeing the scene before him, he decided to not interfere and returned to his hiding spot, despite wanting to hug Marinette tightly as well.

“I-I thought I was going to lose you,” his voice was strained. He sniffled and exhaled softly, hands beginning to shake. He moved his hands to hers and held them at his lap, rubbing the back of her hands with his thumb gently, to help calm the both of them down. “I-I made it to the top of the tower just as Backstabber dangled you over the edge, I was beginning to approach, but she let go of you and I just felt my heart drop with you. I-I had no other choice but to jump after you. You-you could have--” The tears didn’t stop falling from his face. It was Marinette’s turn to cradle his face in her hands.

“Shh, it’s okay-- it’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here safe and sound because of you,” more tears cascaded down her cheeks as her shaking began to subside. Adrien glanced up to look into her eyes, staying like that for a while.

“You also were so hospitable to me when I stayed at your place last night. So in a way you also saved me. I ran away from home because I didn’t want to deal with my father anymore-- I didn’t want to be away from you... To me it mattered more that I would have just stayed as Chat Noir until it was safe for me to transform back. The mere fact that your family was more than happy to let me stay filled my heart up with hope. It also made it easier for me to keep my promise to you. My promise to be there for you through it all.” Adrien held up his pinky and wiggled it, making Marinette gasp a little. She finally realized why the gesture was so familiar. Adrien made it before he left for home the day before, and he did it as Chat a few times. Marinette lightly chuckled and hooked her pinky with his, leaning her forehead on his.

Plagg flew out again from his spot and hugged Marinette tightly, startling her a bit, but he got a soft chuckle. She held him against her face gently, appreciating his rare moment of concern and affection. “Marinette, don’t ever do that again, you hear? I would hate to make Sugar Cube devastated if I told her you have lost you life. You hear me!” Marinette giggled, but nodded her head, giving Plagg a small kiss on his head.

They remained seated on the ground for a few moments before they heard Tom’s voice calling from the crowd. The crowd moved out of the way for Marinette’s father to get through. His eyes were misty, and he was out of breath from running through the crowd. As soon as he reached the duo, he lifted the both of them up in his arms and held the both of them tightly in a kind of group hug. That’s when his tears finally rolled down from his eyes and began to blubber incoherently. Both teens just held him back just as tightly and shed tears along with him. He gently set them down, wiping away his tears, and stared at the both of them with glimmering eyes.

“MARINETTE!!” Alya, Nino, and Chloe scramble out of the building they were hiding in and ran up to their best friend, capturing her and Adrien in another group hug. Alya had her face pressed up against Marinette’s and just began to sob. “I’m so sorry Marinette. For not believing you sooner about Lila. None of this would have happened if we just listened to you!” Nino, like Marinette’s father, was blubbering incoherently, and Chloe just quietly held them, for once at a loss for words. “I am a shit friend for treating you like that. You were right, and we were wrong. We were completely and utterly wrong. I hope you can forgive us someday.” Marinette again began to cry when Alya said these words. She just held her best friend tighter and cried. It was shitty of Alya and Nino for treating her the way they did.

“I accept your apology, Alya. It did hurt that you didn’t believe me, so it’ll probably be a while until I actually forgive you--” More tears were shed from Alya, but she understood. Marinette and Alya hugged tightly again, and at that moment, Alya swore to herself that she’ll do anything to make it up to Marinette, especially when it almost led to her death.

A police car rolled up to the group, causing them to step back a bit, and from the back seat out came Sabine, gently laying her hand on her back. Nino and Alya rush to her aid and help her walk up to Marinette. As soon as she reached her, Sabine held her daughter tightly and didn’t let go for a few minutes as if to protect her from the world. She then pulled away and held Marinette’s face in her hands

“Oh my sweet girl! You’re safe, you’re safe! I was couch ridden after my scuffle with Backstabber because of my back. I turned on the TV and the breaking news was showing you falling. I- I could only watch. I was so scared I couldn’t even think straight.  Called the police to see if they could escort me here, but they were running late. I wasn’t going to make it-- But-but--” She then turned to face Adrien, “You, young man, risked your life to save her. Who would have thought that the boy she-- ahem-- Who would have thought that you, Adrien Agreste, was Chat Noir? We thought we were never going to see you again, especially since we thought you went missing.” Sabine then held Adrien in her arms. “Thank you so much, for being there for my daughter. For keeping your promise to her, no matter what. No wonder she fancies you a lot.” Sabine gave Adrien a wink, and Marinette went red.

“Maman!” Then it dawned on Marinette that she confessed to Chat Noir that she liked Adrien. Chat Noir was Adrien. All Marinette wanted to do at that moment was to run and hide from everyone. The best she could do was hide her face. Adrien noticing this, smirked widely and leaned in close to Marinette.

“It’s okay bugaboo, I’ll keep it a secret,” Adrien winked at her, and smirked again when she went red again, but this time didn’t cover her face, and gave him a gentle bump on his arm with her fist. He may be Adrien, but in front of her, he can be Chat Noir as much as he wanted to be. They were both beginning to become comfortable enough with each other, a little bit of flirting was harmless.

“It’s not much of a secret now, is it, my kitten?” Adrien lit up at the nickname and at that moment wanted to give her the deepest kiss he could muster, but unfortunately it had to wait. A loud yell was heard from the other side of the crowd. They couldn’t see for the crowd seemed to rearrange themselves in front of them to protect them, but they knew who it was. Hawkmoth.

“We can’t let anymore people get hurt by him! We have to stop this right here, right now!” Marinette began to walk towards the crowd, but she felt a hand grab her by the wrist. She turned back to see Adrien holding her, a serious look on his face. “Adrien!”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to go face him!”

“But you don’t have the Ladybug miraculous! I--”

“It doesn’t matter if I have it or not. I vowed to stop this villain from harming the citizens of Paris, and I’ll be damned if I go back on that. I’ll do it out of suit if I have to.” Marinette was about step away again, but Adrien gripped her wrist tighter. Plagg hovered by Adrien and they exchanged looks, Plagg immediately understanding what Adrien was trying to convey without words.

“It’s your choice, kid. Do what you want.” Plagg watched as Adrien knelt down on one knee, reaching into his pocket, ignoring all of the people watching this unfold. He pulled out the box in his pocket and opened it, holding it up to Marinette. All she could do was stare as her partner and crush knelt there holding up the recognizable box.

“I did return the box to Ma-- to you know who. He then asked me to choose the next Ladybug. I was contemplating someone else, but it just felt wrong. The person I was thinking of was the wrong choice and she proved it herself, and it made me realize that to me, you would always be the right choice. So Marinette, please,” Adrien blushed profusely, aware of how this looked to everyone else, but didn’t care because the Chat Noir side of him did like being a little dramatic. “Be the Ladybug to my Chat Noir? There’s no one more worthy.” Marinette blushed profusely, but began to cry because those words washed away all of her worries, fears, and doubts. To hear that Adrien, her Chat Noir, found her worthy enough that he couldn’t think of anyone else.

Marinette nodded and took the box from Adrien, garnering loud cheers from the crows and a tight hug from Adrien. They hesitantly pulled apart and Marinette pulled out the two polka dotted earrings from the box, immediately putting them on. Out came it’s little resident, Tikki, who had her cute little face twisted in a confused face. Her large eyes landed on Marinette and immediately flew her way to hug her, tears streaming down her face.

“Marinette!” Tikki cried as she hugged her face.

“Tikki!” Marinette held her dear friend in her hands and gently squeezed her against her face, also shedding some tears. “I missed you so much Tikki!” Tikki nuzzled her face into Marinette’s cheek and sniffled.

“I missed you too, Marinette. Let’s never separate again.” Marinette agreed to that and they continued to hold each other. Adrien, the crew and Marinette’s parents watched with misty eyes as both friends reunited with unending enthusiasm. Tikki then pulled away and looked around, looking at the crowd that gathered. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story. But for now, there is a villain we need to catch.” Tikki nodded and readied herself.

“Marinette, let us help too!” Chloe said, getting ready to transform. Alya and Nino nodded and readied themselves as well. Marinette smiled and shook her head.

“Your kwamis are still tired from your transformations. Even if you were able to transform, they haven’t eaten to regain their energy. You guys would just transform back quickly.” The trio were about to argue back but Marinette just shook her head. “Thank you guys so much. But Chat Noir and I can handle him.” The trio exchanged glances and nodded, trusting in her judgement.

“Tikki, spots on! Yah!” Marinette began to go through her transformation. Adrien followed shortly after, “Plagg, claws out!” As soon as the both of them ended their transformations, the crowd went wild, but hushed as Ladybug, in her full glory, lifted her hand to quiet them. “Let me get to Hawkmoth.” The crowd suddenly parted down the middle, creating a path to Hawkmoth, who was glaring at them. Both she and Chat Noir began to walk briskly with their heads held high to face their ultimate nemesis. Just behind Hawkmoth, in her civilian form, Lila watched with an expressionless look in her eyes.

“Hawkmoth, your reign of terror ends here!” Ladybug called out, expertly swinging her yoyo.

“So it appears you were bluffing,” Hawkmoth stated. Ladybug gave him no response. “I see now, you wanted to really throw me off the miraculous by lying about what you did to them. You’re smart.”

“It’s a technique I learned from a certain someone,” Ladybug’s eyes flicked to Lila, then back to Hawkmoth. Lila gave Ladybug a death glare but she just ignored it.

“Meowch, that must’ve stung,” Chat said, twirling his baton into fight mode. Lila glared at him, but he just gave her a toothy smirk. Hawkmoth just stared at Chat, unwilling to show an expression on his face. Then his eyes flickered to Ladybug and rage suddenly creeped up to his face.

“You dragged him into this!” he said, lifting up his cane to accusingly point at Ladybug. “He had no business getting into all of this and you-- YOU!” Hawkmoth rushed to Ladybug, lifting his cane up to strike. Chat Noir blocked his attack with his baton, but Hawkmoth pushed to try to overcome him. Ladybug prepared her lucky charm to see how they can capture him, but the only thing that appeared was a tie. She was very confused until she realized that the tie was a Gabriel Agreste mark tie. The realization washed over her and she covered her mouth. Hawkmoth and Chat continued to struggle. They both locked eyes and Hawkmoth immediately relented, dropping his cane and he fell to his knees. This sudden submission startled Chat Noir. He stepped back and prepared for what came next.

He wasn’t prepared at all.

“Nooroo, dark wings fall--” There was a blinding light, and Chat’s baton clattered as it fell to the floor. Chat stared, speechless. There was a collective gasp as the crowd slowly realized who was the one behind the villain’s mask. Ladybug’s still had her hands covering her mouth and glanced at Chat Noir’s face. There was no expression, but his eyes were wide and it scrunched into an indiscernible emotion. He clutched at his chest and fell to the ground, breathing heavily. He transformed back into Adrien, and Plagg tried to comfort him. Ladybug threw the Lucky Charm to the sky and it worked its magic, fixing everything destroyed in the fight, including healing her mother’s back. She then let her transformation fall as she knelt beside Adrien, gingerly placing her hand on his back to comfort him. She then locked eyes with the man before her, who had a defeated look in his eyes.

“I-I thought that it was you who was dragging my son into this... but it was actually me... Adrien, forgive me--”

“WHY?!” One word only managed to slip out of his lips, but the rage hit Gabriel Agreste like a locomotive. Gabriel tried to steady himself, but his shoulders began to shake. He avoided meeting his son’s eyes as he prepared to give his son the answer no one anticipated.

“It was to bring your mother back.” There was absolute silence and Gabriel took this as a sign to keep talking. “Y-your mother isn’t missing. She never was missing. She’s actually in our mansion, in a comatose state.” No words were uttered from Adrien, he just stared at his father, fury fueling his glare.

“She’s what?”

“She was the holder of the Peacock miraculous, and it ended up damaged somehow, causing her to go in a coma. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why. I thought that if I got both the Ladybug and Cat miraculous, I could use their combined powers to bring her back. I-I’ve almost--”

Adrien cut him off, “That’s enough.” He stood up and walked up to his father. He noticed a small purple creature hiding behind Gabriel’s shoulder. As soon as Plagg and Tikki lay their eyes on it, they cried out.

“Nooroo!” Upon hearing his name, the little butterfly kwami flew out, nervous that Gabriel would yell at him for showing himself. No comment came from Gabriel, so Nooroo rushed to hug his friends, who both were awaiting this glorious reunion. They spun in the air for a moment, laughing and crying, relieved to have Nooroo back in safety. Both Marinette and Adrien watched, Marinette with a soft smile on her face, but Adrien wore no emotion.

Adrien turned back to his father and held out his hand. “Hand over the miraculous.” Gabriel looked up at his son with pleading eyes, but Adrien didn’t give him the satisfaction of showing him any emotion. Relenting, Gabriel took off the purple brooch that was hidden underneath his tie and placed it in Adrien’s hand, who clutched as if to keep it from being taken again. Adrien turned his back to his father and walked away without a word. Marinette walked up to Gabriel, who was being handcuffed by the police.

“Mr. Agre-- Gabriel. You didn’t have to do this. You had other options that may have saved your wife. Why go with the most destructive one?” Gabriel and Marinette held eye contact, staying silent.

“Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe, maybe I was just desperate and didn’t think straight--”

“Yes, you didn’t think straight.” Marinette turned and began to walk away, halting for a moment before muttering, “Now you broke your own son’s heart and I don’t think there’s coming back from that.”  

“Gabriel Agreste, you are under arrest for terrorizing Paris--” Marinette walked up to Adrien, who sat down on a nearby curb away from the now dispersing crowd. Some people were trying to console him, but Nino and Alya were shooing them away. Many tried to congratulate Marinette on finally capturing Hawkmoth, but she ignored them for her focus was on Adrien. He had one hand running through his hair and the other clutched the Butterfly miraculous. Plagg was attempting to comfort him along with Chloe, but he just tried to zone them out. The more they spoke, the more he seemed to tense up. Marinette knelt in front of him, shushing their friends, and reached out her hand, letting him decide if he wanted her touch or not. It took a moment but he took her hand and looked at her.

“Do you want to go home?” Marinette asked. Adrien shook his head. “Do you want to stay here?” Again, he shook his head. “Um... Do you want to be left alone?” He then nodded. Marinette glanced around at everyone and understood, with the team returning their miraculous to Marinette, saying their goodbyes and began to leave. Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand and pleaded with his eyes for her to stay. “Okay, I’ll stay.” He then stood up, still holding her hand. Marinette began to rub his thumb with her’s gently and he seemed to relax a bit, but not before he let a tear fall. “I’ll meet you guys back home.” Her parents nodded and they started to head back home. The square was empty except for a few stragglers. The news van was packing up, with the anchoress waving goodbye to the pair before climbing on. Marinette felt a gentle tug on her arm, and followed Adrien, who was leading the way. They began to walk around, aimless. A few people almost stopped to congratulate them on capturing Hawkmoth, but immediately changed their minds upon seeing Adrien, giving him sympathetic looks. Marinette never let go of his hand, for she knew it gave him great comfort. Again, she would have melted on the spot, but under these circumstances... She had to be his rock like he was hers the past couple of days.

“I don’t know what to do...” he finally said as they sat on a bench looking out to the river. “My dad is more than likely going to prison, my mother is in a coma... I need to find her in my dad’s mansion. I-I don’t know where I’m going to go. I don’t want to leave Paris to live with some family somewhere else. I want to stay here with my friends. I want to stay here with you.” Adrien finally let go of Marinette’s hand and covered his crying eyes. “I feel like I’ve been left to the streets, like a stray cat.” Marinette pulled him into a tight hug, and didn’t let him go.

“You aren’t. I won’t allow it,” Marinette whispered, never letting go of him. “Chloe, Alya, and Nino won’t allow it. My parents, hell, maybe even your father’s assistant and your bodyguard. We’ll all help figure out how to keep you here.” She pulled away and cupped his face, gently rubbing his cheek. “Maybe even Master Fu could help.” Adrien’s eyes lit up as if a thought came to mind.

“Master Fu can help...Marinette, you’re a genius!” He cupped her face with a joyous expression on his face and gave her a very brief, but very affectionate kiss on her lips, unaware of what he did. Marinette just stared at him wide eyed, and he stared back, also wide eyed. Their cheeks reddened, but they didn’t want to let go of each other’s faces. Adrien wanted to apologize, but at the same time, he didn’t want to. “I-I’m s-sorr--” Marinette gently returned the kiss, holding it for a few seconds before pulling back, still blushing profusely.

“I-I’m sorry, you just looked super cute, I couldn’t resist,” she said as she retreated her slightly trembling hands, grazing her finger against her lips. Adrien wanted to speak, but she continued “But you’re thinking about asking Master Fu if there’s a way to help your mother wake up, huh?”

“There may be a way.” The voice startled them as Master Fu nonchalantly sat next to them in the bench. “But first, there was a girl spying on the both of you from the top of those stairs. Long brown hair, green eyes, had a tendency to work with Hawkmoth. I suggest if you guys want to be affectionate with each other, don’t do it in front of her, or she’ll be glaring daggers at you guys.” Marinette discretely glanced up the stairs and sure enough, Lila was watching them from behind something. Adrien gave her a not-so-discrete glare, and she ran off, giving them a final glare.

“Master Fu, you said there’s possibly a way to help my mom. What is it?” Adrien gave Master Fu a hopeful look, but Wang just gave him a neutral look.

“In the book, there is a potion for those affected by broken miraculous. It takes a while though, because some of the ingredients are difficult to procure, and it takes about a month to make the potion. I’m not even sure if it’ll work for your mother because she’s been in this state for a long time.”

“Something is better than nothing,” Marinette said, looking determined.

“Please Master Fu,” Adrien pleaded. “I’ll do anything to help.” Master Fu observed the both of them and smiled.

“I knew I made the right choice with the both of you,” Master Fu stood up and smiled at the teens. “Look for your mother. Once you find her, take her to the hospital to check her vitals. Hopefully the potion will be done in a month as soon as I get my hand on those ingredients. In the meantime. Will you two do me the honor of staying as Ladybug and Chat Noir? There’s no one in Paris more worthy.” Marinette and Adrien exchange surprised glances and smiled.

“Of course!” Marinette responded.

“It’s almost like we were born to do it,” Adrien smiled. Master Fu chuckled.

“Good.” He held out his hand. Adrien handed him the Butterfly miraculous that he placed in his pocked. “Marinette, you can hand back the other miraculouses later when you have the chance. I want to make sure that the Butterfly miraculous gets home swiftly and safely. Now go home and look for your mother. Her life depends on it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading my fic! I know it’s a little open ended, but it was deliberate.
> 
> Because I’m planning on writing a sequel based on saving his mom! :O
> 
> I don’t know if it’ll be a one shot or a short multi fic like this one, but I’ve already got some stuff planned and boy I’m excited!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed reading my fic. I enjoyed writing it, especially a few parts.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first MLB fic. It’s been in my mind for a while now, so I hope you guys like it!!


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